Land And Human Connection Essay

People rush over crosswalks, moving like ants among the skyscrapers. Children skip ropes and play with sidewalk chalk. Completely different are the main streets of country towns, where children explore the woods and a close community is certain. Growing up in these two cultures produces vastly different personalities in adults and contrasts how those people perceive themselves. It also affects the opportunities they are offered; more opportunities are available in populous cities. This cultural phenomenon is seen in Malcolm Gladwell’s book Outliers, when he compares the formal culture of South Korea and the direct one of America (Gladwell 214-215, 219). Opportunities and culture affect development of one’s personal identity by impacting self perception, which influences decisions.

In chapter 5 of Mavericks, From Space to Territory Aritha van Herk writes about the West and its romantic appeal along with different men who were given the task of surveying and exploring the West where upon in turn they became captivated by its romantic appeal. In her writings about these men, and the West that they were tasked with “discovering”, there is a connection to regionalism, landscape and subsequently Plains identity. Regionalism refers to the unique characteristics of a geographic area, or to people’s perception and identification of that area. Landscape refers to that geographic area’s features that help form the characteristic qualities of a people in the region. Landscape also dictates how a region will develop over time. Plains identity follows as it is formed by regionalism and landscape. These three concepts can be found in van Herk’s writings in this chapter as she analyzes how people perceived the West.

I would describe my own personal land ethic simply with my personal definitions of both terms. My personal definition of land is a substance in which animals and humans utilize by physically walking on. My personal definition of ethics is something (idea or belief) someone holds close to their heart and is willing to protect completely. When combining both personal definitions of land and ethic, I define land ethic as viewing land with the utmost respect, feeling passionate and taking action toward sustaining or benefiting the lands natural state. When comparing my definition of land ethic to Aldo Leopold’s definition, it is evident to see that we are both thinking similarly. When defining the land, Leopold includes soils, waters, plants and

However, the place in which a person learns is not an identifying characteristic. If a human being is educated in Oregon, but is from Washington, they are not an Oregonian; they are defined as a Washingtonian.

Landscapes are complex phenomena. In addition to the assemblage of physical features on which geographers and others focused until the last thirty years or so, it is now widely accepted that landscapes reflect human activity and are imbued with cultural values. They combine elements of space and time, and represent political as well as social and cultural constructs.

“It ensures that all individuals receive equal treatment and equal protection under the law, while respecting and valuing their diversity” (R.S.C, 24)

We are often shaped by our race based on common ancestry in which we are born and the culture in which we are raised which ultimately can have an impact on how we are treated in our society. For example, we may dress in a certain fashion, celebrate certain holidays or festivals or listen to certain types of music. The people who raised us and the people we were around growing up will affect the way we think, act and conduct ourselves later in life. Our social status is shaped by our shared customs, heritage and upbringing. Our identities are commonly supported by our

From the article, it states, “The racial thinking rest on the belief that visible human variation connotes fundamental deep differences within the species, which can be packaged into units of near-uniform individuals.” This means there is fundamental differences within people and group people by their traits. It believed that the fundamental traits or also known as the origin of traits of people is result by the environment of their homeland, and the variation of the traits can be explaining by people moved to other places and mix their traits with the traits of the place they moved to.

Although a group of individuals may observe a particular landscape at the same time, in the same place, and with the same view, not one perception of the landscape will be the same as another individual’s perspective. Meinig (1979) expresses this as he states that it is “apparent that even though we gather together and look in the same direction at the same instant, we will not – we cannot – see the same landscape” (p. 1). Everyone may see the same features of the landscape but will interpret and see them in different ways. In fact, Meinig claims that there are ten different ways – ten visions – of seeing landscape. These include seeing landscape as nature, a habitat, an artifact, a system, a problem, wealth, an ideology, history, a place

Mindess (2006) points out that all humans may have some basic commonalities such as the need for shelter and food, however our beliefs and values are shaped by our group and/or cultural affiliations to some degree (p. 17). From the moment we are born, we begin to learn and mimic our culture’s behaviors, attitudes, modes of communication, language, and other cultural traits from our caregivers, family, neighborhood, and our community. Our initial set of morals, values, and feelings about those who are different from us are learned from within our family. Cultural traits can also be an extension of where we live such as our city, state, and country. For example, people born in the United States are often considered to be Individualist. They are taught to be independent, self-sufficient, make their own decisions, etc. Interdependence on the family unit beyond the college years is frowned upon and thought to be a sign of weakness. Thus, when an individual graduates from college, the success is often attributed to their own personal hard-work and dedication. In contrast, Hispanic people tend to be Collectivist meaning they tend to be interdependent. The family and community are close knit. Everyone in a household will contribute to the success of the group. Therefore, when a person graduates from college, their success is the

I began to assume, that however we tend to ar a locality of the character and its beauty that surrounds North American country, however it affects North American country, our mood, our emotions, our feelings and our mind-set.

the result of combining their characters and the surroundings around them. As much as our landscape change over the time, the way that people will see their land will remain the same as how the previous generations did. The variety of landscapes around the world made what we call “societies”. There are three main points that affects our characters depending on the shape of landscape which are our shared experiences with the society that we do belong to, our individual experiences that we develop, and our interaction with the surroundings.

Since what we do is a reaction to some form of stimuli, I do to some extent, believe that we are basically a 'Blank Slate ' and most of our behaviors are influenced and shaped by the environment we grow up in. Our background says a lot about our character and functionality. We will take what we have learned from one community to the next; that is called experience. Humans adapt and conform to fit in and to survive so throughout our lifetime we accumulate a lot of experiences that control our actions and the way we make decisions or respond to variables. I migrated from Jamaica five years ago. Jamaica is where all of my childhood and adulthood behaviors were learned. It is a different environment with different laws, norms, and culture, so my behavior was formulated to survive in that social and economic climate. The stimuli were different so my reactions were different. When I came to the United States, I had to conform and adapt to a new culture, law, norms, and social variables. Based on my prior understanding about human interaction I was able to successful transform and assimilate myself into a new way of life. Even though I am in a different place with different values my knowledge of Jamaica never change because whenever I go back there, I have to adjust to cope with the lifestyle I once knew and accustom to. Hence, the popular saying; 'we live what we learn. ' This force us to take a closer look at our personality and

Today more than ever, individuals and societies are built as an integration of different cultures and carry different characteristics that construct their unique identity.

“I’ve learned that our background and circumstances may have influenced who we are.” These were the words of a poet, Omer B. Washington. However, they would only apply in