Mother Earth.  Many view it as the beautiful planet that we all live on, but others see it as a cruel world filled with turmoil and numerous hardships.  Today, in an age brimming with creative minds of the scientists, and the ambition of the inventors, we thrive in an era dominated by cutting-edge technology.  No longer do we have to step out of our homes, out into the bright afternoon sunshine to fetch the newspaper from our mailboxes.  We simply turn on our computer screens, and hop right on over to the MSN or Yahoo website, where we can read the news whenever we want-where ever we want.  Of course, the good thing is that internet resources save valuable trees from being chopped down for further usage, yet at the same time it forces us to stay glued in our seats, instead of heading outdoors and enjoying the wonders of nature.  Aside from the fact that more and more people are now spending their time shelled up inside their homes, certain individuals also tend to treat Earth as a gold mine—as an endless natural resource that can constantly be harvested for their own benefit.  Unlike the other planets, our Earth has many materials such as minerals, oil, lumber, and gases which as essential for our survival.  However unfortunately, there is also the distinct problem of over-harvesting these precious resources-when should be learn to stop? Is there such thing as “taking too much” or “taking too little” from nature? Either way, we should all start to respect our planet.  We should learn how to appreciate what our Earth has to offer, take in every breath of fresh air and relish in the golden sunlight while we can.  After all, we’ll never know how long these natural gifts will be here for our use.  One day they’ll be here…and the next day they might be gone.