I've always thought of wilderness as a place where it is almost 100% nature, meaning that is a wild, natural place where animals and plants can coincide without human interference. And I've always found it fascinating to be out in the wild, alone and completely surrounded by nature. It comes as an escape from the busy city lifestyle, even if it is small town, because it is just me and nature with no worries or stresses. There's something about being completely isolated in the wild that is very peaceful to me; a place where I can think freely about anything I want with no distractions.
"The Trouble with Wilderness" has not changed my conception of wilderness, but it has instilled some thoughts that I found interesting. For example, how in the earlier days, people thought of wilderness as an evil place where the devil can reach you. I found that to be a completely ignorant thought because, in my opinion, "the devil" has more influence in the dense, human populated places where people and things like the media can pressure someone to go against their will. How can the wilderness pressure someone go against their will? I don't see how it can, in fact, I think it is where you go to think freely and define your own morals without any outside influence.
I also found the statements about the sublime places to be interesting. The places that Cronon mentions, although I've never been personally but seen on TV, are truly amazing features of this Earth that words cannot simply describe. Now I am not very religious, but I find it hard to fathom that a place like the Grand Canyon was formed by a river over millions of years. But I also can't agree that is God's creation. But I do agree that it is a sublime place, because it is so amazing. I find a lot of places to be sublime though. Places like Bong Hill here in Athens continue to amaze me. For those that don't know of Bong Hill, its the hill that overlooks Route 33 across the bike path by the intermural fields. After the long, steep climb up the side of it, you get a spectacular view of Athens. It is quite breath taking at first sight. And when you're up there alone, like I said before, you can think freely, escape from society for a minute, and relax and enjoy the view. And although it is just minutes from town, I still consider it to be part of the wilderness.
I also enjoyed Cronon's commentary about the sublime. It is interesting that you bring up the Grand Canyon as I have heard a lot about the site in the past week.
ReplyDeleteI am taking a geology course and I can assure you the canyon was carved out by the Colorado River. Side note: some of the exposed rocks in the canyon are about 2 billion years old.
Anyways, getting back on track to your post... When you say "...in my opinion, 'the devil' has more influence in the dense, human populated places where people and things like the media can pressure someone to go against their will." Do you think that is because it is the absence of wilderness and the wilderness is actually the opposite of the devil?
I agree a lot with your post. In my mind nature is a peaceful place to just get away from the busyness and clear your mind. The thought of wilderness being an evil and dark place never came to my mind before reading this essay. It sounded like the early people that felt this way were just afraid and ignorant because everything was so new to them. They were not sure exactly what was out there in the wilderness and had a nervous feeling to explore it. It was a new environment so I'm sure it was hard to take it all in.
ReplyDeleteAn interesting post. My favorite part was when you commented on "the devil" and how he would most likely reside in the cities among the media which can brain wash and pursued you. I also thought your comment on going to the woods being only a good thing for people is very true and insightful. Its hard to imagine spending a lot of time among nature and becoming a worse person because of it.
ReplyDeleteI find it interesting that you mention God. To many, He is considered an important aspect of nature. For those who aren't religious, they cannot deny the fact that much of nature presents awe-inspiring characteristics. Though nature surrounding us has changed significantly over time, places such as the Grand Canyon are definitely still the striking sights they were several generations ago. Though everyone may not agree with me, I believe that God had a part of this. Just looking at the world surrounding us reminds me everyday.
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