Just don't call it dirt
Soils of this Earth have long been overlooked in their importance to all living beings. We give credit to the plants and animals that feed us, the water that washes us and the air we breathe, but not to the soils on which those depend. Soil is so fundamental and integral to the functioning of the systems that support life. In trying to communicate its role and involvement one might search for a metaphor, only to realize that soil is without likeness to other forces. Perhaps the closest we can get is to view it as the love on which our relationship with other natural forces and beings exists. Certainly, it is the unspoken hero that sets the stage and lifts the curtain to let the cast perform. There are those that already recognize the role soil plays: academics that have dedicated their lives to learning and teaching; farmers and ranchers whose see daily the compounding deeds of soil, but beyond that there are few.