9/19/17 Overton Park

               This week our class ventured in the 100 degree heat to Overton Park to continue our discussion in Wilderness and the American Mind by Roderick Frazier Nash and read some of Henry David Thoreau’s writing in Nature Writing. This week before we sat down in a shaded area I was incredibly aware of the elements. I felt the blistering heat against my skin and I seemed to attract every bug in the near vicinity. However as we began to dive into Thoreau’s writing I became less focused on the heat and the buzzing of wings near my ear. As my fellow team led discussion I found myself convicted by the words of Thoreau on nature. In particular he mentions how he would rather live in a swamp then the most beautifully crafted garden. He states that we do not appreciate the essence of nature. This statement stopped my thoughts right in their tracks. In my mind I was just complaining about the heat and itchiness of the grass beneath me. Thoreau was talking about mine sets like the one that I possess.

                The manner in which Thoreau writes captures the reader’s attention. He crafts statements, such as the swamp description, to question the lens that the readers interpret nature through. While reading his descriptions of his surroundings whether scenery, ants, or a friendly mouse I felt the sense that he was captivated by what he was beholding in his mind’s eye. I so desire to hold this same awe and wonder towards the fine details of nature that I am able to write on and on by what has made me stop and think outside of my own little world.

                As the class shifted to discussing Nash’s writing so did my perspective on the outdoor excursion I was a part of. The wind gently brushed through the trees surrounding us and softly nudged hundreds of leaves off their resting place. This created a wonderful snowfall effect and the leaves began to dance around us as if beckoning that we give attention to our surroundings. And give my surroundings attention I did. My perspective towards the outdoor class shifted to one of thanksgiving. I became thankful for the escape from the four walls that my eyes normally fell upon. In Chapter 3 of Wilderness and the American Mind the scientists in Europe of the Enlightenment era began to shift the view of nature from a dark and fearful place to sublimely beautiful and having a close relationship to God. The idea of nature being sublime really took hold in the hands of Romantics who would rather enjoy the wild than a cultivated garden. Romantics called Primitivists, “believed that man’s happiness and well-being decreased in direct proportion to his degree of civilization” (Nash 47).

                I find truth in the Primitivists statement of happiness in relation to the degree of civilization. I find that I can get wrapped up in the busyness of life and this can lead to a great deal of stress if I do not take a step back and put into perspective the happenings of life. Spending time in God’s creation has a way of calming my soul and allowing for reflection. This type of reflection and quiet time is vital to remain sane in this crazy thing we call life. It is important to remember that we are just a small part of this beautiful universe. It is humbling to think like this.