Scouts, here I have a handful of sand, and in my other hand, I have a piece of topsoil, just sod. Do you see much difference in them?
Yes, you're right. There's the difference between poverty and wealth here - the difference between starvation and prosperity for all people. This sand represents a civilization that once flourished and is now dead because of
misuse of resources. People took from the soil and put nothing back.
But this sod is different because it contains the miracle power of growth. This sod is topsoil enriched through many years.
Our very existence depends on the narrow margin of about 6" of topsoil that covers much of our planet. Without it, we cannot survive.
If all the topsoil of the world eroded, what would people live on? Food can't be raised on sand or rock.
What things can we do, as Scouts and as citizens, to help people better understand the importance of this (gesturing with the sod) and not just let our land drift to this (sand) - with the topsoil allowed to waste away?