Like many Americans, I have many Judeo-Christian beliefs. I know this must affect my view on nature in a round-about way, but I have yet to feel negatively toward the subject. When I think of nature I simply think of the outdoors. Fields, more specifically. Growing up my family was not one to camp or hike. The most nature intensive activity we took part in was skiing. I believe this has had the most impact on my opinion of nature thus far.
During skiing trips our family would stay in a log cabin near the rim with another family. All of the children would be allowed to play and explore outside for hours at a time. I remember cutting through the neighborhood and crawling under a fence to take our first of many exploratory hikes into the rim. We stumbled upon trees with colored ribbons in them. At the time we did not know they were markers for trees to be removed, rather we thought they were fun to collect. The competition started. The goal was to be the one with the most ribbons. After fourty-five minutes of running through thick pine trees we found ourselves out of breath and lost. After realizing not one of us knew where we were the ribbon count was no longer important. We were four kids surrounded by trees on all sides, jagged rocks sticking out of the earth, and a quickly sinking sun. After a slight panic attack and wondering around for what seemed like hours we finally made it out to the road.
As a child I was one to freak out quite unprovoked needless to say I was breathless until we reached the cabin. Once the fear dissapated I found myself annoyed. How could we enjoy the forest so much only to be swallowed into it's belly? After that trip my attitude towards nature changed. I was no longer one to initiate exploration, but settled on tagging along. I was no longer in awe of it's serene beauty, but aggravated with it's vasteness and complexity.
Knowing this many wonder why I am majoring in Parks and Recreation Management. I feel I have done an injustice to our environment. I have never purposefully disrespected my surroundings, but lacked appreciation for it. I hope to come to terms with and gain respect for nature and the wilderness.
And Then There Were Two
11 hours ago
1 comment:
That's a cool story. Where were you at when that happened? I have some stories of growing up in the snow as well and how freakin cold it is! But I hope you find more of an appreciation as you continue on in your academics. I enjoyed your comments.
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