I was told that this blog was supposed to be about something I value, and I had to connect it to some of Thoreau's, Emerson's, and Whitman's ideas. One thing I value that is in common with their ideas is Nature. Not to the extent of writing multiple poems and essays about it, but I do value it quite a lot.
One reason I value nature so much is because of a trip I went on about a year ago. It was a FIVE week 'roughing it' camping trip around the Pacific North West, in the USA and Canada. We could only pack the bare essentials, because they went through our bags and we had to much they took stuff away from us. We had to make all our own meals, pitch our own tents, and basically survive in multiple difficult types of weather. As an added bonus, we only showered about 5 times on our whole trip.
I compare this trip to the adventure Chris took in Into the Wild. We both were living with what we had in nature, and learn to appreciate it so much more than we did before. I can't begin to explain how much more I appreciate the "simple beauty and freedom of nature" after this trip. You can never truly be grateful for nature and all it has to offer you until you have to depend on it.
I can also compare this to some of the ideas Whitman had. In Whitman's poem, 'Song of Myself,' he talks about the grass and how every blade is different and individual. I don't believe you can truly grasp this concept until you live it, like how I watched miles and miles of beautiful mountains in the badlands go by but I couldn't take my eyes off of them because they were all so different and beautiful.
I don't think you can feel the way Chris, I mean Alex Supertramp, or how Whitman did in Nature, without experiencing something similar to what they did, where your life depends on nature. I believe this is why I value nature as much as I do.
I totally agree with you! this concept reminds me of people's feelings towards cats. So many people say that they hate cats because cats just sit around and do nothing, and they're mean; basically comparing them to a dog. When really, those people have no idea what the heck they're talking about! They don't even own a cat so what gives them the right to complain! I feel like all they're saying is what they hear and see in movies or books. My cat for one, is very entertaining! He may not have as much energy as my dog, but honestly, I think he's nocturnal. So this is the same as people who don't appreciate nature. You have to experience it to understand what is great about it. If you don't, you're stuck with rumors and stereotypes and what you hear from other people who probably haven't experienced it either.
ReplyDeleteuhm....ok bebe. thanks for sharing that :)
DeleteWow Zoey that sounds so cool! How did you find out about it? Did you like it? Were there times it sucked? I really want to do something like that it sounds amazing. When you were in the middle of it did you feel in touch with nature? Sortof lost from society? This post made me really excited haha :) You were like a little Thoreau!
ReplyDeleteWell, I go to a camp, and this trip was like the thing everyone did the summer going into freshman year, so thats how i found out about it. There were parts that I loved, and parts that I din't like so much (i mean, only 5 showers!) I did totally feel imersed in nature and cut apart from society. I was all like "what a cell phone, or the internet, or instagram?" but it was absolutely amazing. you really have to experience it to believe it, but when you spend multiple hours hiking up a seemingly endless mountain and are so tired you could fall asleep walking, but then you get to the top and can see everything nature has to offer you, its priceless. ( the link is a picture from the trip #nofilter :)
Deletehttps://scontent-b.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-frc3/208228_266781673432859_1154774524_n.jpg
Wow, that trip sounds cool! I like how you compared the ideas to your own personal experiences
ReplyDelete