Personal Narrative- Destruction of Nature Essay examples

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.

Through removal and technology, humans have started to become isolated from the wilderness and the nature around them. This view distinctly contrasts with Thoreau’s perspective. “Though he [Thoreau] never put humans on the same moral level as animals or trees, for example, he does see them all linked as the expression of Spirit, which may only be described in terms of natural laws and unified fluid processes. The self is both humbled and empowered in its cosmic perspective,” states Ann Woodlief. The technologies that distract and consume us, and separate us from the natural world are apparent. Many people and children ins cities have seen little to no natural-grown things such as grass and trees. Even these things are often domesticated and tamed. Many people who have never been to a National Park or gone hiking through the wilderness do not understand its unruly, unforgiving, wild nature. These aspects, thought terrifying to many, are much of why the wilderness is so beautiful and striking to the human heart. “Thoreau builds a critique of American culture upon his conviction that ‘the mind can be permanently profaned by the habit of attending to trivial things, so that all our thoughts shall be tinged with triviality,’” pronounces Rick Furtak, quoting Thoreau’s Life

“In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth (Genesis 1:1).” The love and respect for the outdoors is something everyone should value, many things promote this way of life, due to its extravagance and true freedom in this great creation. They can sometimes go to that outdoor place in books, poems, art, and even some news articles. Much of this world doesn’t get to see the other side of America; they don’t get to see the best part, the outdoors.

The sad injustice to nature is that man has forgotten the biotic connection between the natural world and humanity. Whether protecting nature is a spiritual experience or simply a means for survival, nature is as much a part of human life as the human themselves. The separation created by modern environmentalism between human and non-human entities can only be reunited if people learn to view life as a part of nature. The scary part about that thought, however, is will that be enough now? Only time can

This theory is examined by David Cole, author of “Beyond Naturalness: Adapting Wilderness Stewardship to an Era of Rapid Global Change”. Wilderness may be defined as free from human intentions and lack of human effect and described as historical fidelity (Cole, 17). Historical fidelity is the hands-off stewardship used as support ladders to protect wilderness in a state similar to its virgin form. But being natural, untouched, and pure is incompatible with freedom from human desires. In reality, you cannot preserve wilderness without the use of human intervention. Why you may ask? Because it is the values that society has forced upon wilderness that causes its citizens to appreciate the wild when it provides incentives such as the “wilderness experience”. If the wild has nothing to offer, then there will be no reasons to preserve it. As a result, wilderness is a byproduct of social values which allows civilization to appreciate and protect

With environmental issues such as global warming, pollution, and natural resource depletion, it is indisputable that preserving the wilderness is essential for a sustainable future. While the effects are becoming more prominent today, the concern for maintaining a balance with nature has been around in the United States for over a century. In defense of preservation, one individual shares his perspective in his book, Desert Solitaire, of the crucial need for undisturbed wilderness and how the exploitation of it must be contained. Edward Abbey’s method to convey his message can be crude, unfiltered, and raw. Regardless, he argues “there is a way of being wrong which is also sometimes necessarily right” to justify his approach (xii). Although Abbey’s point of view is sometimes “violently prejudiced [and] unconstructive,” his message is passionate and thoughtfully presented in a manner that invites

Even though we separated ourselves from nature in the attempt to salvage some beauty in the world we still “began to alter places where we were not,” through by-products of our industrialized society. (Mckibben XX) Mckibben says “it is also true that we are apart of nature” (Mckibben XXI) while Cronon wants us to see that “wilderness is more a state of mind than a fact of nature.” (Cronon 493) While Cronon wants humans to separate themselves from the wild, Mckibben asks us to confront nature head on. We are apart of it and“we possess the possibility of self-restraint” so we still have the means to stop abusing the natural order. In order to do this “we would need to change the ways we move ourselves around, the spaces we live in, the jobs we perform.” (Mckibben XXII) We can start by thinking of practical ways to affect the environment positively, starting in the

Reading William Cronon and Neil Smith, I came to understand that each of the two authors introduces us to a different approach of human conceptual relationship with nature. In The Trouble with Wilderness, William Cronon speaks about how we reject our responsibility toward nature and the potential danger existing in our conception of wilderness (or nature).  On the other hand, Neil Smith in The Production of Nature introduces us to how humanity transforms the nature in the process of producing commodities.

In his essay, The Trouble with Wilderness, William Cronon discusses the importance of preserving wilderness. Nature has been deteriorating since the introduction of the human species, and Cronon attributes this issue to the destructive nature of humans. The essay begins with his thesis “the time has come to rethink wilderness” (Cronon 1). He challenges the reader to find the difference between wilderness and wildness. Cronon’s biggest fear is violating the holiness of nature.

Our relationship with nature has currently become strictly economic. we tend to don't associate ourselves as a section of nature as a result of we tend to use it for profit. Forests ar abate for the profits of the lumber trade and to form area for placental mammal. Animals that we tend to ar doubtless associated with, that have senses and therefore the ability to socialize ar slaughtered by the billions to feed Associate in Nursing more and more carnivorous population. Resources like oil and food ar all erratically distributed throughout the globe and thus used as a platform for profit. All the whereas the surroundings bears the grunt of our

There is an unwritten sense that the bond between man and nature is predestined. Humans may have a physical relationship with each other, but the connection with nature begins at birth. However, continuous advancements in technology, as time passes, weakens the bond between humans and nature. People have become fixated on technology and checking social media, so much that they lose touch with nature. Even though humans only need water, food, and shelter to survive, humanity has an ever growing need to innovate and improve man’s living conditions. Humans tend to think of nature as responsible for providing for humans, instead of vice versa. Today’s society lives in the fast lane, where instead of being able to enjoy leisure

Sabarish, I totally agree with your argument that humans try countlessly to detach themselves from nature. For example, we build and live inside massive dwellings to hide us from nature's inclement weather; but also from its beauties. This causes many of us to miss out on the most picturesque scenes right outside our homes, such as the pollination of trees and other plants. Also, I think your trip to the Grand Canyon is an example which proves how us humans have stayed away from nature’s greatest marvels instead of coexisting with them. Most humans try to buy homes that are in the safest locations far away from floods, earthquakes, tornadoes, and blizzards. However, as a result from trying to avoid nature and its spontaneous weather,

In modern day society, Americans are immersed in unnatural cultural norms. These set of cultural guidelines do not allow us to experience nature in its beautiful and natural form. We ignore it. Everyday Americans go through the same routine: wake up, go to work, come home, watch TV, go to sleep, and repeat. This routine is abnormal because we waste our lives away by not seeing the world as it is meant to be seen.

Some may say we have lost the connection or relationship with nature . The world as a whole has become more and more distant as time has went on. The earth is used for so much but many don’t take enough time to realize how much it is actually used. The relationship between the earth and its people is explored in Ralph Waldo Emerson’s “Nature” and Mark Twain’s “The Lowest Animal” In both of these pieces the authors go into the relationship between nature and the people though they both have this in common they each have their differences as well. While comparing and contrasting these texts it opens up the mind to view things that may not usually be seen. Such as the behaviors and habits of the many people that live on this planet earth.

Humans have adopted a need to control instead of survive creating a separation from dependence on the wild which is the very thing we depend most on, thus resulting in destroying the wilderness and wildness of nature. This separation is not a mere physical separation; the drive to control creates this illusion of connection. For example, in Jack Turner’s essay, In Wildness Is the Preservation of the World, he explores this idea through analyzing Henry David Thoreau’s essay Walking. Turner states “human beings no longer accept their status as “part and parcel” of a biological realm that is self-willed, self-determined, self-ordered. Instead we have divided ourselves from that realm and make every attempt to control it for our own interest.” As a society, have we have become too dependent on what we can make in a factory or lab rather than seeking the solutions in nature? The wilderness is a place we should use to understand ourselves and our existences, doing this we regain respect for the wild and with that the ecosystems that sustain our lives.