Today’s class took us to unique location, being that the
forecast told of impending rain showers. We did not journey from our horned
frog home. We found refuge outside the recreation center under a decorative
umbrella covering. We circle around a dirt mound that looked to have once held
a large tree. Speckled throughout the dry ground was items of foliage that most
would call weeds. This scenery I believe to be perfect for our discussions on
John Muir of civilization’s role in conservation.
In Nature Writing John Muir describes going
out and climbing a tree during the storm. When the average individual would
seek shelter from the power of the elements he rushed out to meet them. This captivated
me. I wondered if I truly have ever marveled at the omnipresence of the wind
during a storm as he has. My favorite description of the wind was Muir’s
depiction of it as a musical ensemble. He stated “nature was holding high
festival, and every fiber of the most rigid giants thrilled with excitement”
(p. 254). The glorious phenomenon of a storm brings blessings and life to the
occupants of the forest.
As a
class we also read John Muir’s writing in Wilderness
and the American Mind. In his writing in Chapter 8 he describes the
importance of wilderness preservation and how there should be no attempt to
compromise with forestry. This electric ideal made me take a moment to assess
my own surroundings. How would Muir feel about the even decorative tree being
uprooted from the ground we encircled? Yet happenings such as this occur
without a slight thought towards the existence of the plants.
I was enchanted by his notion that “in God’s
wildness lies the hope of the world- the great fresh, unblighted, unredeemed
wilderness.” I believe that nature screams the existence of a loving all
powerful God. This type of reverence that springs forth in me when I gaze over
the edge of a mountaintop just cannot occur even when taking in the site of the
most treasured human architecture. I am thankful for those who have come before
me and have preserved the raw and untainted wilderness that God crafted. It has
allowed me today to marvel in the wonder that is my creator.
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