I had another embarassing bus ride. Well, in fact, it was on the lrt. This time it was my fault. I made the mistake of reading the last 50 or so pages of "Sophie's Choice" while I was on my way to school. It was a little awkward when I started crying (ugly crying, not a few gentle tears sliding down my cheek.) Even more awkward was the girl from my Germ 225 class who was witness to the whole horrifying display. More awkwardness? Yes please. The young man sitting next to me was so intrigued as to what could be behind my waterworks that he made no effort to hide as he turned his body towards me and leaned over my shoulder as he read along with me. Even worse was the fact that in my effort to stop crying I was reading rather quickly and every time I would turn the page before he was done he would make little noises of displeasure, obviously frustrated. So I, being a good little doormat, slowed down so I was sure he was done the page before I turned it. Needless to say it was a less than comfortable trip.
So, I have been musing for the past little while on the artifice that is this urbanzed little world in which we live. Our green 'nature' areas look anything but natural. The grimaces and displeasure which colours the faces of the general populace is unnatural. The subways, concrete and metal that we are surrounded with is not a natural environment. We are constantly changing our natural mental states with caffeine, alcohol and drugs. We plug ourselves into I-pods or are preoccupied with our cell phones while sparing no disdain for the person that sits next to us on the bus. I have noticed however, people becoming more interested in returning to nature, perhaps because of it's increasing rarity. The amount of colleagues who have intimated to me the desire to live simple lives and grow gardens and be near nature surprised me. There is a growing dissatisfaction with the ever expanding metroplis' that my generation lives in. A good friend of mine pointed out that even musical tendencies are heading towards simpler, acoustic music which resembles Bob Dylan and Cat Stevens in it's folk roots-y feelings. All of this, combined with a renewed zeal for protecting the environment, spurred on by threats of a global warming disaster, is creating a more compassionate and empathetic population. Unfortunately, the impersonal infrastructure that we live in every day does not nurture these hopeful desires. We, as humans, need more nature and nurture and less efficiency and division. Collective joy needs to make a comeback in a big way.
Because these blogs just keep getting less and less fun and more serious I will make a concerted effort to write a more witty and entertaining one next time. In the meantime, here's one of my favourite viral videos for your viewing pleasure: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xU9W7Qo1T6M
"Our green 'nature' areas look anything but natural. The grimaces and displeasure which colours the faces of the general populace is unnatural. The subways, concrete and metal that we are surrounded with is not a natural environment."
ReplyDelete....so humanity is not a part of nature? what makes human structures and grimaces so unnatural?.... is it because animals are always frolicking in the sun holding hands? Does the majestic beaver have the river ecosystem in mind when building a damn? does every other creature (sans Humanity) on this great green earth only seeks to help the environment?...
I think the idea that humanity is somehow above or outside the natural is a dangerous idea, we are in fact a part of nature... to say otherwise suggests that there is a right and wrong way to live. That these unholy structures we are building fly in the face of all that is good ("nature" as you put it)and simplistic living is the proper (more natural) way to go about things. Your ideas advocate a divine morality; they suggest that humanity has a purpose and would be much happier if we began fulfilling it... you must see the danger in this.
see i would define nature as "the universe, with all its phenomena" whereas the definition of nature you are prescribing sounds more like "the natural world as it exists without human beings or civilization.".... poor humanity :(
also i don't mean to offend, i hope i didn't,just stimulate thought
I agree that states of constant bliss are unnatural and that there is no creature with higher brain function who can be happy and 'frolicking' all the time. What I disagree with is the constant state of fear in which we find ourselves which results in a desire to remain seperate from any unknown person. I also don't want to make a generalization, because there are always exceptions.
ReplyDeleteI believe that humans are most definitely a part of nature. This is merely a warning against how we seem to be living the 'rock and roll' lifestyle of a species. I am merely posing a possible alternative. We are crashing and burning by using non-renewable resources faster than any animal on the planet and using renewable resources faster than they can be renewed.
Contrary to saying that humans need to return to nature, what I meant to convey (perhaps not concisely enough) was that humans need to begin thinking about a return to humanity and global consciousness. I believe it is beginning to occur and that pleases me immensely.