Mindful Doodles #175
Would you walk into traffic? One evening at around 7 pm, I was walking to the bus stop, when I saw this scene:
The little black bird was walking and hopping on the road. The traffic light was red and there were no vehicles on that lane. The bird did its own short reconnaissance, before it deemed it safe to stay its ground. Then it approached a splat on the road, which seemed to be a drop of food. It pecked at the spot, and then quickly hopped back on the verge of the grass. I sympathized with the bird. With deforestation making way for the construction of transport systems, birds have lost more of their natural habitat. They have evolved with urbanization and now seek manmade food on the road.
We should meditate on the effects of deforestation and what we can do to conserve natural forests. Trees are cut for wood furniture, wood products and paper. If we recycle old furniture by refurbishing them, we will save some trees from being cut for furniture. We can recycle old paper, newspapers and cardboard, to conserve the amount of new wood that is meant for making paper products.
Trees are beneficial for the environment. They provide oxygen during daylight hours, when their leaves engage in photosynthesis. During this process, carbon dioxide from the atmosphere is removed and converted into oxygen. The spreading branches of the tree provide shade and reduce heat falling on the ground. In some countries, there are laws to protect old trees, to prevent their felling .