Habitats

Habitats are being destroyed daily and not just the types you think. I know, personally, that when I think of habitats I think of wetlands, the Amazon, forests, oceans. Thus, when I think of habitats being destroyed I imagine big corporate offices full of big-shots, who only care about the dollar, ordering workers to cut down trees and build more offices for them. I don't imagine myself, just going for a walk. Ever since I was a little kid, as I walked I would break off twigs, rip off leaves, kick up dirt, things that every kid does. But as I was sitting on the beach today, looking at the ocean, I realized that the twig I just ripped from the ground and began snapping into tiny pieces could have blossomed leaves for a tiny bug to eat. It could have given shelter and food, yet I just snapped it in half like nothing. Then, I thought of all the other little, mini habitats I might have destroyed in my life. I am not saying I will never rip off another leave again, or not pick up a stick from the ground to keep my hand busy, but what I found astonishing was that until now, I never thought twice about it. I never thought about the consequences that I might have caused for an organism. It made me think how much we can take this planet for granted and not think of those beneath us in the food chain, who we depend on for survival.