Throughout my youth I have had the privilege of being a member of the Boy Scouts of America, as well as their honor society, The Order of the Arrow. Needless to say, this has enabled me to have a vast number of experiences in the outdoors, many of which have been immensely congenial, and insofar are regarded as some of the most breathtaking experiences in my life. I have hiked mountains, rafted down rivers, rode through the hills on horseback, and slept under the stars. From seeing the splendor of camaraderie around the fire, to the beauty of coaction among friends camping in the winter snowfall, each and every one of these situations has broadened my view on nature itself, and has ingrained within me a profound appreciation for nature and all its intricacies. Presently, however, I would like to back up and epitomize the fire as a chief testament to the beauty of nature herein of itself, but, in order to do so, I must first set the scene. To begin with, we, my scout troop and I, arrived at the Pinnacles National Park well after sunset, and there was still the hike into camp let alone the setting up of camp that had to be dealt with upon arrival. In spite of the increased hardships that would ensue, the hike in was supplemented by the vast tranquility of the darkness on the earth and the glimmering stars above. Upon arrival to our campsite we laid our temporary mark unto the land, and settled in for the night. We woke up to the pitter patter of rain against our lodgings and
When I crossed by the snow covered sign that read “Welcome to the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness National Park” and looked at what surrounded me, I was beside myself. I didn’t know that trees could ever be so beautiful. The towering trees were the perfect shade of dark emerald green, and the way the snow piled on them looked like painting. I thought I was living a fairytale. It was the most beautiful sight I have ever laid eyes on.
As a child, I unraveled nature’s beauty and existence. Each new experience brought me feelings of excitement and joy, sparkling my imagination and igniting my curiosity. It all seemed so large back then. Oceans appeared endless as they reached towards the horizon. Treetops seemed to make friends with the puffy-looking clouds as they soared to the sky. Over the years however, as I have grown older and life has become more complex, I am beginning to think less and less about the natural world around me. I glimpse sunset stuck in rush-hour traffic trying to return school after debate practices and only listen to the pitter-patter of the rain when there’s a storm outside. Forests and oceans seemed less appealing as they became intertwined with the urban development. In a way, I was becoming more and more distanced from the so-called nature. So, with an overwhelming desire for adventure and to escape the masses, my family and I drove to Big Bend National Park in Southwest Texas last summer.
Nature by Ralph Waldo Emerson has a lot to teach about how to respect the earth because it is a mighty force but Nature also teaches what it means to be connected with nature and the feelings that are associated with connection. During my close read of Nature I faced challenges, successes, and a greater appreciation for the writing from a world that is drastically different from the one I live in. One of my biggest struggles while annotating the piece was looking at the big picture and what the paragraph as a whole was telling me. While I am annotating I tend to focus more on the smaller pieces such as the meaning of words and decoding what a sentence is saying. It’s hard to pull back from that and connect the bigger pieces to find what the
“Nature” is an essay written by Ralph Waldo Emerson, and published by James Munroe and Company in 1836. [1] “Nature” has a total of 41 pages. The essay consists of eight parts: Nature, Commodity, Beauty, Language, Discipline, Idealism, Spirit and Prospects. Each part takes a different perspective on the relationship between humans and nature. In this essay, Emerson emphasizes the foundation of transcendentalism, “a religious and philosophical movement that developed during the late 1820s and 30s in the Eastern region of the United States as protest against the general state of spirituality and, in particular, the state of intellectualism.” [2] “Transcendentalism suggests that the divine, or God, suffuses nature, and suggests that reality can be understood by studying nature.” [3] “Transcendentalism is closely related to Unitarianism, the dominant religious movement in Boston at the early nineteenth century. Transcendentalism evolved as an organic consequence of the Unitarian emphasis on free conscience and the value of intellectual reason.” [4] Emerson divides nature into four stages: commodity, beauty, language, and discipline. These define the ways by which humans use nature for their basic needs. The historical significance of “Nature” was that transcendentalism club led the celebration of the American experiment as one of the individualism and self-reliance. [5]
Bernard Malamud was brought up in the mid 1900s, a time period when baseball played a huge role in the lives of many Americans. Americans loved baseball because it gave them a chance to stop working and simply relax while they cheered on their favorite team. It was a time when people played baseball solely for the love of the game and the thrill of hearing the fans cheer for them. Today, however, baseball is much more corrupt, and many athletes are only in it due to their own greed and selfishness. This strong desire for money stems from some important players in the past, such as Babe Ruth and Joe DiMaggio, who were outstanding athletes and grew very overconfident in their abilities. They became so confident that they began to demand
It had looked so far away it was hard to believe I would be on top of it in a few days. Besides in the campsites, we only saw one other group of people during the entire 12 day trek and the only human sounds were our own. Each camp was an island of civilization in a great sea of wilderness, and a wonderful solace to end the day’s hike.
Human beings are part of the animal kingdom, and therefore part of nature. If that is true, then everything they create or destroy is by default "natural". I agree with the statement.
What is nature? The answer to that question is unique not only on a cultural basis but also unique to every person. When many people are confronted with different viewpoints or opinions on a particular subject, they often have the desire to conform that person’s opinions to their own. This creates a binary way of thinking. You either agree or disagree. This binary really is not effective, however, when discussing the topic of what is nature or what is natural because it is not a question that has a clear answer. We all have different connotations attached to the word nature. None of these connotations are wrong. They are just different. They are a product of our religion, our biology, and the experiences of our life. There have been many provocative thoughts expressed about what is natural that have either directly or indirectly defined nature to us. Whether it is an ancient story passed down through oral tradition throughout generations or modern writing, we have always looked to define nature not just for ourselves but for others around us. And this has caused only gridlock and confrontation.
The scenes journey along the Appalachian Trail captures the true magnificence and greatness of the eastern U.S. of wilderness. Starting in the Deep South at the foothills of the smoky mountains, this journey overwhelms one with southern beauty while also making one experience the South’s legendary simplicity and retreat from the urban gridlock of modern society. The Appalachian Trail’s scenery attracts many people from all over the world to witness it for them. Causing many people to come with their families and possibly volunteer.
As Bill took his first step in the woods, he takes a deep breath soaking in the scent of oak and fresh ash. “far removed from the seats of strife”, not having a warm bed or hot meals even a full night rest. Knowing he had one abventure ahead for Bill and Kats. Both having to hike 16 miles everyday over rocks,trees, crossing ice cold rivers, and hearding the rain outside of thier tend and the roaring of the bears at night.
People must understand that there are underlying factors that govern our actions. This is especially true with how people interact with the environment. One extremely irrational way to look at this is represented by philosopher Immanuel Kant’s perspective of nature. Kant is big on intrinsic value, which is something that has value on its own, naturally.. However, Kant firmly believes that animals should not be concerned and are not intrinsically valued because they are “not self-conscious and are [here] merely as a means to an end” (Infield, 1930, p. 239). Kant definitely thinks in terms of anthropocentricism with this mindset, meaning that animals have no value so they must be on this earth to tend to humankind. This would be his rationality
Though there are many basic premises of transcendentalism, being close to nature seems to be the most practiced still today, yet people never notice the amount of influence of this particular principle. Everyone has a little transcendentalism in him or her, but even those people are wondering how that is even possible. Look at the movies children watch, songs people listen to, and stories that are read. Transcendentalists are so much more influential than they ever could have thought possible.
The colors are astonishing. No longer does green dwell the trees. It seems the entire world is on fire. The bright yellow has mingled with the orange to create small flames, flickering from the branches of trees. They fall to the ground and ignite the earth. It has been said before that fire is pure and cleans everything it touches. It takes something broken and dead and gives it one last spurt of beauty. One last goodbye before it leaves forever. The bed of the fire is a deep blue, so searing it burns any who come near. The heat makes my eyes water and stings my uncovered face. I want to get as close as possible. To see the embers be swept with the glorious reds and royal blues. The heat is
"What we call Man's power over Nature turns out to be a power exercised by some men over other men with Nature as its instrument."
I would define nature as the world around us without any type of human involvement. I believe that nature is anything natural to the earth. It is the plants, animals, rivers, forests, birds, weather, etc. It is a gift given to us from god. Most people believe that nature is just centered on the thought of the ocean and forest. Nature to me is the life source for all living creatures it provides us with the four essential things that we need to survive which are food, water, air, and shelter. However, we are so disconnected from nature we do not see the constant damage that is destroying our home.