The other day in class my professor began a discussion on the idea that my generation can no longer enjoy nature in its pure wild form. In other words national and state parks no longer can just be untamed wilderness with a few trail and campsites in between, they need action. My generation needs roller coasters and high action adventures, white water rafting, and zip lines; walking through the woods or toasting a few s'mores under the stars just isn't going to cut it anymore. As you can well guess this prompted any number of different responses from my peers. As usual I have a loud opinion on the subject.
I would like to start by simply stating that I agree fully that people of my generation within my culture have fully embraced an "ADD" culture. We can no longer sit in the quiet and enjoy life. Things soon become boring and we must be in a constant state of activity. Before class everyone is texting away on their phones; even into class when the lecture becomes too boring people return to their phones. People cannot walk to and from class without being "plugged in." The T.V. is always on in our homes, day and day out. Let us compare both movies and books of our day to those 40 years ago. One can see this constant need for action and for something to be happening, compared to a slow start and the building up effect. One recent exception to this would be the movie
The Hobbit. The movie had a very slow start which I thought was very "Tolkienesque" but I could not help but wonder how my peers would react to it. Yet I am not going to pretend for a second that I am impervious to this trend. For religious reasons, I have started a media fast. I allow myself a limited amount of media a week including T.V., movies, recreational internet time, and music. However, 50+ days into the fast I still dread taking a 15 minute car ride because of the prospect of sitting alone in the quiet with nothing but my thoughts for company because I am not allowed to turn on the radio.
So, now that I have established the "ADD" culture that I now live in, let's apply it to nature. I fell in love with nature at a young age. I was in Boy Scouts from the first grade to the end of high school. I have slain six deer to my name and I have a lake-full of largemouth bass in my backyard. When I came to college I decided to major in Environmental Studies because of my love for nature. There's nothing I enjoy more than sitting around a warm campfire under the stars. All I need for recreation is miles and miles of untamed wilderness. I believe my peers should conform to this as well. Don't get me wrong, I'm all about high adventure. If someone wants to whitewater raft through the Grand Canyon or zip line through Hawaii, I'm okay with that.Yet there's something about being out in the wild that makes me feel more human and my peers should experience the same. It is good to escape to the quiet of a forest or canyon not always for the high adventure but for the solitude. As a Christian I see the beauty in God's creation and the time He took into making things "good." As a man there is something about sleeping in a tent and cooking over an open fire that "puts hair on your chest" and makes you feel better in your identity as a man. I'm not Theodore Roosevelt or John Muir but I think the U.S. should put forth every effort to maintain these precious resources as places of refuge from our busy and chaotic world. The National Park areas and other lands like them should be preserved simply for their scenic beauty. The addition of things to make the parks more exciting would only deter from their purpose. I believe the ADD culture only makes the need for these places greater as people need places away from their cell phones and laptops and seek the peace they offer. On a recent camping trip I went on with the Catholic Student Union, we were really encouraged to turn off our cell phones. To me this was a relief and I could then enjoy the trip more fully. So, America, the next time you get a free weekend, throw a cooler and a tent in the back seat and drive until you cannot see the city lights. We've still got miles and miles and untamed wilderness to enjoy and there's nothing boring about it.
So, now that I have established the "ADD" culture that I now live in, let's apply it to nature. I fell in love with nature at a young age. I was in Boy Scouts from the first grade to the end of high school. I have slain six deer to my name and I have a lake-full of largemouth bass in my backyard. When I came to college I decided to major in Environmental Studies because of my love for nature. There's nothing I enjoy more than sitting around a warm campfire under the stars. All I need for recreation is miles and miles of untamed wilderness. I believe my peers should conform to this as well. Don't get me wrong, I'm all about high adventure. If someone wants to whitewater raft through the Grand Canyon or zip line through Hawaii, I'm okay with that.Yet there's something about being out in the wild that makes me feel more human and my peers should experience the same. It is good to escape to the quiet of a forest or canyon not always for the high adventure but for the solitude. As a Christian I see the beauty in God's creation and the time He took into making things "good." As a man there is something about sleeping in a tent and cooking over an open fire that "puts hair on your chest" and makes you feel better in your identity as a man. I'm not Theodore Roosevelt or John Muir but I think the U.S. should put forth every effort to maintain these precious resources as places of refuge from our busy and chaotic world. The National Park areas and other lands like them should be preserved simply for their scenic beauty. The addition of things to make the parks more exciting would only deter from their purpose. I believe the ADD culture only makes the need for these places greater as people need places away from their cell phones and laptops and seek the peace they offer. On a recent camping trip I went on with the Catholic Student Union, we were really encouraged to turn off our cell phones. To me this was a relief and I could then enjoy the trip more fully. So, America, the next time you get a free weekend, throw a cooler and a tent in the back seat and drive until you cannot see the city lights. We've still got miles and miles and untamed wilderness to enjoy and there's nothing boring about it.
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