As a child I grew up in a small rural town. Our house was on a quiet street and we had woods all around us. We often saw turkeys, deer and other small animals in our backyard. Our neighbors (none of which we could see) had a grapevine next to their house and my brother and I would sneak over to steal some of the fresh grapes in late summer and spit out the seeds. I remember taking a couple juice boxes, granola bars, and my backpack and going for “hikes” in the woods to explore. I would be gone for hours walking and looking at the ferns tree’s, and lady slipper’s remembering not to pick them because my mother told me they were endangered. I listened to the silence interrupted only by birds. There were no sounds of cars or trucks just quiet nature. It was one of my favorite things to do on the weekends. This photo reminds me of my walks through the woods when I was a child.
Bedrock of Democracy
Terry Tempest Williams discusses the hope of “bedrock of democracy “. Through stories of place and a relationship with nature people can remember what it means to be human, to remember where they came from. Williams argues that if we lose sight of our connection to nature over politics and possession of land we will lose a sense of ourselves, and humanity itself.
“As the world becomes more crowded ad corroded by consumption and capitalism, this landscape of minimalism will take on greater significance, reminding us through its blood red grandeur just how essential wild country is to our psychology…” (Williams 6)
Thinking of the place that I identified above as part of my history I realize that I would lose a piece of me, a piece of my childhood, if the lack of respect for the environment and nature continues. This was a place I could find peace and solace and where I could feel connected to a source of life. Something that was bigger than everything else in my life. It allowed me to put things in perspective.
So when I think of Williams “bedrock of democracy” I feel this place from my childhood supports his vision of a world where we allow our selves to reconnect with nature in order to reassess what is important to us and good for humanity. Williams encourages us to “strengthen our association with the wild” so we can engage in a more thoughtful and wholesome approach to a life lived not through greed and shortsightedness but by “standing our ground in the places we love, together” (Williams 19) in order to protect them. My childhood memories remind me of what is like to feel connected to something greater than myself.
I was able to experience something pure, and untouched by this industrialized world free from greed and corruption. These are the things I think Williams is referring to when he mentions a “moral line of behavior” (Williams 19) he is referring to those central and internal feelings we have when we connect with nature. A sense of innocence and sense of “self” that gives us a renewed sense of what it means to live as one with nature.
People Need Wild Places
Barbara Kingsolver asserts that, “People need wild places” (Kingsolver) and I tend to agree with her. She has had the privilege of having a childhood like mine where she had a place to enjoy the quietness and pureness of nature, a place to self-reflect. However not all of us have had that privilege. I don’t think it makes anyone better than the other but I do think it’s important to have the opportunity to connect with nature. Understanding that land cannot be used for greedy purpose, or owned, understanding that the land belongs to all of us is something that can be taught but it’s our experiences of place that remind us of that.
Bibliography
Kingsolver, Barbara. “PBS.” NOW. 6 February 2020 <http://www.pbs.org/now/printable/transcript_smallwonder_print.html>.
annotated: Kingsolver’s excerpt details her experiences of her childhood cabin where she has an intimate relationship to the nature around her. The log cabin, inherited by her husband’s family located in The Walker Mountain of Southern Appalachia is home to her in the summer months. Kingsolver is a writer who has become reliant on surrounding herself wit the scenery of the lag cabin home and has found that this place reminds her of how important it is to be connected to nature. How important the land is to people that rely on it and find comfort in the land and it’s peace and quiet. She notes that, “an ill-placed dam, well, ranch, or subdivision could permanently end the existence of their (the willow fly catchers and apache trout) kind. She goes on to stress the importance of respecting the earth and reminds that our food, oxygen, and sources of pleasure all come from the earth.
Williams, Terry Tempest. “Homework.” Williams, Terry Tempest. Red. n.d. 3-19.
What a treat to grow up in nature. You have wonderful memories to take with you into the future. Let’s hope there will be enough of our natural, wild planet to enjoy. Climate change has decimated much of Australia and it’s animals, flooded Venice, Italy over and over again, and caused some of the worst fires in California the past few years where an entire town went up in flames. The rain forests are slowly being logged and burned for profit. This administration now wants to open Tongass National Forest in Alaska for oil drilling and logging. There seems to be a lack of urgency to reverse these dangerous environmental disasters due to greed and self elevation, not to mention the Republican Christian right who wants the planet to be in the “end of times”.
I remember the first home I lived in until the age of 7. There was a woods a block away in our neighborhood. The kids spent a lot of time there, building tree forts and climbing. There was a creek that ran through it. I recall coming home with a blood sucker attached to my foot. Somehow someone pulled it off. It’s a memory I’ve never forgotten. And spending two weeks each summer camping with our grandparents. Wandering the campgrounds, swimming, hanging out with other kids my age, running down sand dunes. Great times for a kid who lived in the city.
“This was a place I could find peace and solace and where I could feel connected to a source of life. Something that was bigger than everything else in my life. It allowed me to put things in perspective.” This quote from you is exactly how I felt many times throughout my life when confronted by the scale and beauty of the natural world. I recall going on a religious retreat with a friend and sitting on rocks in the mountains, writing and lifting my eyes to the sky. When I think back, it still brings me so much peace and awe of the grandeur of our planet. What a gift.
I also agree with Williams and your understanding of the moral line of behavior. If we connect with nature on a pure, loving way, then how could we, in good conscience, destroy it. So many politicians and corporations refuse to slow down and really see what’s happening to the natural world that we love so much.
Barbara Kingsolver writes about how nature gives her fuel to carry on her work. My all time favorite novel is hers. The Poisonwood Bible is an amazingly beautiful and bittersweet story of someone who forces nature and man in the Congo into his idea of God. This blind, arrogant man who is also a minister destroys not only some of the native people around him but his family of five females. Because he lives in his patriarchal head, he doesn’t see what his actions are doing, leaving a trail of misery, death and destruction. He is a perfect reflection of what man is doing to our planet. And we must stop it before it can no longer be undone.
You are so lucky to have grown up in such a beautiful place surrounded by nature. I can’t imagine not seeing the neighbors! My childhood home was maybe a few feet away from the neighbors. We could see directly into each other’s windows on the first floor and, it felt like privacy was nonexistent. I really love the quote you incorporated into your blog from our readings: “As the world becomes more crowded ad corroded by consumption and capitalism, this landscape of minimalism will take on greater significance, reminding us through its blood red grandeur just how essential wild country is to our psychology…” (Williams 6).
I honestly forget about things of this nature in my everyday, busy, and chaotic life. It’s incredibly emotional and raw and true. Great post!
Hey Holly,
I like your description of where you grew up. It’s important to be reminded of what you hold dear and what’s important, like our homes. I’m glad that you have such nice memories from out where you live, I agree that it’s important to protect that to one day share with many more people.
Life sure was different growing up before technology became so accessible. With its abundance, I often find myself interacting with a screen instead of doing something outside immersed with my environment. Without this bedrock we can become disoriented, like Hooks described the African American community facing post slavery. Being enslaved for so long was an incredibly unfair and awful tragedy that was endured by Black people in America, but as Hooks describes, the one positive that came out of that was that they could enjoy a close relationship to nature. Once they migrated to Northern cities they collectively felt displaced and had a sometimes-difficult time adjusting to their new life. For so long they had enjoyed the peaceful and uplifting benefits of being able to enjoy the natural land around themselves, that without it they were left significantly lacking. Even thought they were not owners of the land that they were tending to and did not have much say over anything that happened, they still got positives from being so tied in with their habitat. While there is certainly empowerment and satisfaction that comes with ownership and freedom, It’s important to not under look the great gifts there are for all of us to enjoy in our surroundings.