“The wilderness holds answers to questions man has not yet learned to ask.” – Nancy Newhall
As I mentioned earlier in a post about our trip to the Texas panhandle, my cousin took my sister and I on a “heritage tour” that included places our parents and grandparents grew up. As we drove around I wondered what it was like to live in this area. There was no running water, electricity, paved roads, grocery stores, smart phones or the internet :-). I questioned in my mind how they survived. I think it was because they accepted and lived life as if they were a part of nature and not separate from it.
Some people will be inclined to think this part of the country is desolate, uninhabitable, harsh and lacking any beauty. Yet, to me there is so much beauty. It is wilderness, even though man has tried to change it to meet his ways. Too see the beauty in all things, we must look and see with more than just our eyes. Nature is at work: creating it’s own beauty, surviving in harsh environments, evolving to ensure the existence of another generation. It seems so much of us are distant from nature, separated by our buildings, pavement, malls, televisions. The wilderness is all around us, inviting us to ask questions, if we venture into it, something I feel the need to do more often.
4 Comments
E.Brooks
Monte, I’ve often wondered many of those same things and I think it’s natural to admire and perhaps romanticise lives lived so much closer to nature than most of us experience. But I keep reminding myself how hard it was for them and how high the mortality rate was. Nature is beautiful but harsh but it does have a lot to teach us. For me, as I think also for you, nature has the ability to recharge some part of our inner makeup, making many of lives problems seem relatively minor.
When I first saw this photo I thought, “That looks like the trees here in Texas.” Very nice in B&W!
Monte Stevens
Yes, trees are so distinct in different parts of the world. And, we are capable of distinguishing them as we travel across the country. This is true of plants and flowers also.
We have decreased our infantilty death rate and extended the length of our lives and much of that is the protection we have from the extremes of nature. We live longer.
Cedric Canard
I grew up a city boy, became a city man and always believed I would remain so to my dying day. In the last year or two however, I have felt a shift. I find myself tiring of the city, the noise, the density, the crowds, the rush, all of the things that I used to be attracted to. I don’t know if it’s a phase or something more permanent; time will tell. The trouble with living in the country in Australia though is that you’re likely to shorten your lifespan due to all the deadly snakes, spiders, crocs and let’s not forget the dreaded drop-bears 😉
But the closer I get to the end of my work life the more I wonder where I’ll spend those retirement years. Once upon a time I was certain it would have been in the heart of a big city.
Monte Stevens
I also was raised a city boy and have over the past few years been drawn to the quiet of the country. I’d be better to say drawn to nature because I do find a desire to spend time in the local nature areas. As you say the noise, the density, the crowds, the rush no longer appeal to me. In many ways they irritate me. 🙂 My oldes daughter went to college in Denver and loved those years in the big city. She and her husband live in the country now, although work in the city. I wonder if it’s a realization peace and quiet are not the external things but something within us. Thanks for sharing, again! Love it.