In response to The Daily Post’s writing prompt: “Honorific.”
If you could pick one person to be commemorated on a day dedicated to him/her alone, who would you choose?
The word honorific is applied to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr birthday who has a US Federal holiday in his honor along with the Dr. Martin Luther King Memorial in Washington DC.
There are numerous noble and honorable people who I would consider applying the “Honorific” term to describe their sacrifice and dedication to humanity. Yet, I choose John Muir (1838-1914) as he was a Scottish-American naturalist, author, environmental philosopher and early advocate for the preservation of wilderness in the United States.
John Muir was America’s most famous, influential, naturalist and conservationist. He is part of California’s most important historical personalities and he has been called “The Father of our National Parks.” He is known as the “Wilderness Prophet,” and “Citizen of the Universe.” He once described himself more humorously, and perhaps most accurately, as, a “poetico-trampo-geologist-botanist and ornithologist-naturalist.
He played a significant role in gaining the attention of four American Presidents’ US Congressmen. Senators, state and local politician to set aside lands that are toured by millions of American yearly to see the incredible beauty and serenity of the US National Parks. He is also the founder of the Sierra Club starting beginning in 1892 and his contributions to society are “honorific. ”