Here's your discussion question for this week:
What's the most thrilling/magical/enchanting engagement you've had with the non-human world?
And part II, is "saving nature" something we should concern ourselves with? Why, or why not?
Happy blogging,
Simon
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3 comments:
(sigh)I can't decide. I've been fortunate enough to have had many experiences with the non-human world which I would call magical or thrilling. I grew up next to a creek where I played with rocks, mud, sand, bugs, plants and flowing water every day when I was little. That made me appreciate non-human interaction... but one specific occasion that made me appreciate the finer things must have been when I was thirteen and my mother took me on safari in Kenya and Tanzania. It was likely one of the most memorable experience of my life, and it wasn't some ritzy expensive photo crap mumbo jumbo. We went and visited real people, tribes, children, and friends from the world health organization in nairobi and in small towns along the month long road trip to the island of zanzibar, we were able to see not only the people, but entered game parks and spent a lot of time with the animals of the savannah as well. I went walking one morning at Lewa Downs, a pachyderm (elephant, hippo and rhinoceros) conservancy, and as I was heading down the road a baby rhinoceros was walking my way... no mother in sight. I freaked out... a baby rhinoceros weighs about 700-900 pounds and if it wanted to, it could have hurt me. I stood still, then started backing up as the rhino got closer. It didn't seem to be getting aggressive at all, so I calmed down a little, keeping in mind that these were animals used to people, almost, in a sense, domesticated. I turned my back to the baby rhino and headed back towards camp. As I passed the main hut where one of the vets lived and worked, I let him know of my encounter and that I thought it strange to see a baby walking along the road toward the camp alone. My friend asked me if I'd like to check out the situation and accompany him on his morning ride around the conservancy's perimeter. HECK YES! (What, you thought I would say 'no, i'd rather go play with my gameboy'?) We hopped in the jeep (this car had no shocks, by the way) and headed down the road toward where I just came from, coming across the baby again. Steve, the vet, said it was good I had told him about the baby calf, because she was exhibiting distressed behavior. We headed down the road further, as soon as we passed the youngster she started following us... something was up. We came around a corner to find the mother rhino, laying down by the side of the road, breathing heavy and unable to stand up. She was bleeding from the neck and mouth, and looked utterly exhausted. I thought she was about to die. Steve hopped out of the jeep to examine the situation, looking into her mouth to find pieces of metal. She had eaten some barbed wire, for some reason, which was "odd" steve mentioned "because the gates and fences here at Lewa are all intact and we don't use that type of barrier-fencing". She had to have found it somewhere and for some reason, eaten it, perhaps with some food. Steve reached for his radio, one hand on this massive creature's side as it lifted and fell with each hot breath. I felt compelled to reach out and stroke the horn and forehead of the mother. I felt its rough skin and connected to its dinosaur-like characteristics, looking back now I should have taken a photo, but it slipped my mind. This is a memory that solidly lives in my mind. Other workers on the conservancy came to help move the rhino and her baby to a vet-building after she was lightly anesthetized, and by the time my mom and I left for our next destination, both of the pachyderms were back out in the expansive grasses together enjoying life again. Seeing a living thing enjoying and appreciating its health made me appreciate not only what nature has to offer for each of us but also the overall biodiversity of the planet as well, in that each living thing has a purpose.
2)Interestingly enough, we brought something similar to this up in class today. In terms of 'saving nature', we NEED TO CONCERN OURSELVES WITH THIS ISSUE- I can't believe this is even up for debate. As the global human population further booms out of proportion and people are forced to cram into cities and natural settings become scarce, people will feel the urge or dire need to return to nature and find themselves a place to be at one with the outdoors. We need to concern ourselves with preserving the outdoors simply because it is human nature to satisfy our magnetic draw to nature. My family has a piece of property in northern california which is pristine in a natural setting kind of way. There is nothing but tan native grasses, rolling hills, pine, fir oak and madrone canyon trees, black bears, jack rabbits, bass and trout, millions of butterflies, bats, birds and deer. Friends of mine come to visit the place and after a couple hours of tooling around together, most will just wander off to be by themselves to enjoy looking out over the lake at sunset. it's amazing. people need that.
1) The summer between high school and college, I spent some time in the mountains of Wyoming, mountaineering and climbing with the National Outdoor Leadership School. About 17 days into our course, I was given the chance to record an 1100ft, 9 pitch first ascent with an instructor and another student. After climbing for nearly 11 hours, we finally reached the summit; sitting silently, hands thoroughly destroyed from several hundred feet of cracks just wide enough to jam your hand into and weight, we all looked at one another, rather pleased with our accomplishment. “Do you think we tamed the beast” “hell no! Never have and never will.” This rather brief exchange between my instructor and me placed a great deal of perspective on what we were doing there, why we were doing it, and what it meant. Those words were the only ones spoken from our summit until we reached camp again, some 2 hours later, after hiking off the back. In our silent descent, I became aware of how pristine the area was and the fact that I was only one of three to have been in that place before.
2) Wallace Stegner once said that we need nature simply to know that it still exists. With the loss of nature, comes the loss of one of our only remaining connections to our past and origins. I agree with this comment, as I cannot really imagine living without it. This whole discussion does become a bit of a vicious circle though: everyone wants to preserve nature for recreational use rather than build or develop it, but few think about their impact by using it recreationally. This does not mean that it can’t be done; rather I am suggesting that preservation brings with it great responsibility that cannot be taken softly.
1.) I think I should just start off by saying that no, after reading the entries of my fellow bloggers, I will not be writing about as exciting of an engagement with the “non-human” world. It isn’t because I’m some anti-nature nut who preaches the destruction of the forests and prefers the concrete jungle of Manhattan over the rainforest of Brazil (although I would consider myself a city-boy). The truth of the matter is that quite simply, I can’t really sit here and confidently say that my experiences with the “non-human” world have been anything close to thrilling, magical, or enchanting. I’ve had my fair share of outings I suppose. I remember going to the Grand Canyon while in Las Vegas back when I was 13, taking a trip to Lake George (which was by far one of the worst adventures into nature that I can recall), and spending many a day at my secret spot amongst the Cherry Blossom Festival that few other people know about, away from the tourists and bustle of civilization. Sure, they were all nice and junk but to say they were something thrilling would be totally stretching the truth beyond recognition. I didn’t really feel a connection or liberation of some sort. I can honestly mostly remember how much I couldn’t wait to get back to civilization and having other people around. Ironically enough, my exciting moment came during the summer while I was working back home in New York City. After a long day of financial background checks, my coworker and I decided to go out for some drinks. As we enjoyed the weather we had both decided that it would be a great idea to take a detour to the New York City Waterfalls, a Public Art Project put on by the city of New York and the Public Art Fund which consisted of four man-made waterfalls at various places in Lower Manhattan. We travelled to the one underneath the Brooklyn Bridge and to be quite honest, it was utterly amazing. Being able to stand there and watch such a beautiful piece of art reflect the combination of the beauties of nature and the city itself was something that I definitely wouldn’t forget. For me, it was by far a more thrilling and remembering moment than the Grand Canyon or Lake George. I know it might sound ridiculous to a few of you, but to me it was something that truly spoke to me and helped me reflect on a lot of things both in my life and those of the world around me.
2.) The question of whether or not we should concern ourselves about “saving nature” is something that isn’t going to be leaving us any time soon. Quite bluntly, yes, we do need to keep in our minds that we as the dominant species of this planet should be taking care of the environment around us. The reasons come in various different forms but there are a few which, for me, are quite important. One the one hand, the environment is full of the necessities of which we are able to be sustained. Whether it be the different species of plants and animals, the ozone layer, our oceans or fields from which we grow our foods, every single piece is important to the overall survival of our home. Any imbalance or destruction can lead to irreparable harm to our surrounds and to life as we know it (plus, it would help get the annoying environmentalists that pester and harass me as I simply try to get a cup of tea from the corner Starbucks off the streets). In addition to the simple life sustaining and species protecting answers for protecting nature, we should also think of what nature can do for us beyond the basic elements of life. If it hadn’t been for the existence of nature, where would inspiration for pieces of art like the New York City Waterfalls have come from? For some people, nature itself doesn’t invoke the same type of emotional gratitude or thought provoking insight as does a piece of art, influenced by nature, placed amongst the city or some sort of civilization that one might feel more comfortable with. The influence that the aspects of nature can provide show how all that is around us can speak to an individual in numerous ways. You don’t necessarily have to up and travel to far off places to seek the splendor of nature. It can find its way to you but it can’t do so if there is no place to start. For those who like to travel to nature and for those who’d rather have nature travel to them, at the end of the day the environment is a benefit for all in some way shape or form. Without it, everyone would lose a valuable element of their lives which noticed or not, would be detrimental if lost. For the sake of not only basic survival but for the need to connect in some way with some sort of our surroundings, nature needs to be protected.
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