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The Legacy of Julia
"Yes, One Person Can Make a Difference. But it's Going to Take All
of Us."
By Elz Cuya
In December of 1997, Julia Butterfly Hill climbed 180 feet (18 stories)
up a thousand-year-old redwood tree to protest the clear-cutting
of this endangered ecosystem. What was supposed to be a two-week
tree-sit turned in to a harrowing two years, and this young woman
became a world renowned super-activist, and "Luna," the tree that
was her home, was saved from the sawmills.
But don't call Julia a super-hero to her face. Julia often has
to remind people that she is simply a human being. "When I share
my experience of the tree-sit with people, I help them understand
just how human I am. I'm not a super-hero, I'm not a stereotype,
I'm just a human being who followed my passion and my beliefs in
making the world a better place. And that's something each and every
one of us can do."
Julia
and Luna |
Certainly, not everyone would agree with that. For two years Julia
-- remarkably --withstood the forces of nature, including El Nino.
"I was under tremendous assault by nature. There were times when
I was frightened out of my mind. Nature is a wild force, and as
we humans do more and more to harm it, nature grows even wilder,
trying to balance itself out.
And nature wasn't the only thing Julia had to contend with. There
was also Pacific Lumber Company, a society of consumers who've grown
numb, and she was even disappointed by those who were supposed to
be supporting her. But in those troubling times, Julia found strength
through prayer.
"It's during moments of such despair, when I think, 'Why should
I even care?' That's when I turn to prayer. Whenever I feel like
there's no hope, that's when I challenge myself to do more, that's
when I know I have to keep going. When I see a struggle, I see an
opportunity for transformation."
But doesn't it take extraordinary strength to embody that kind of
determination? Julia doesn't think so. She believes everyone IS
that strong. "It's just a matter of being willing to accept what
comes along with that strength. The hero and the destroyer lie within
each and every one of us. Are you willing to accept the challenge
of becoming your own hero? That's what it's about. We are all that
strong and we are all that weak. Do we choose to hide our heads
in the sand, or do we choose to face the challenge and become stronger
and more compassionate people as the result? We choose."
Luckily for Luna, and for us, Julia chose to be strong and she reaffirms
that choice everyday. What lies next for Julia? "The tree-sit experience
taught me that my purpose in life is not about making and spending
money which society has tried to teach us. My purpose is being a
steward of this gift called life. To learn, grow, share, protect,
love and honor."
Today, she shares her mission with the world. "Yes, one person can
make a difference. But it's going to take all of us. We can start
in our daily lives though our personal choices. By reducing the
consumption on this planet, reusing what we've already taken, and
recycling what's left. How do we then take that into our community,
and then the community of our country, and then the community of
our world?"
And just how far would Julia go to protect and honor? "I will do
anything and go as far as I have to, as long as it is out of love.
I will not strike out, or come from a place of anger. I will even
give my life, out of love."
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