Kennedi Santomenna - HUM 1020 - CRN 14242

Chapter 15: Nature

"Since well before written history, humankind has been leaving its mark on the natural world (15.7)."

In the book, they use cave paintings as an example but, I think humankind has always left its mark. As generations move past us, there is something new at our fingertips. To some, it is for the better, but for others, it is for the worse. We constantly use fossil fuels to use our technology and can't survive the world without our phones. I remember when I was little, my dad drove by this place that was far away from where we lived. The smell of the air was beyond refreshing, it cured me. My sisters and I had a picnic with him and at the time, we did not have any technology. We basked in the sun and breathed in the freshest air. I wish it was like that today. Whenever I drive by the airport in New Jersey, I can't help but look at the factories in Newark. It pains me to know how much smoke goes into the air and how much humans take advantage of our resources. Some can't stand it and some don't acknowledge the future suffering of our planet.

"Nature for him was a force capable not only of healing itself but of healing the troubled hearts of those who were willing to flee urban society (15.7)."

Whenever I am feeling stressed or I have anxiety, I love taking a walk or a trip to the beach. As of recently, I have been taking multiple trips to the beach to decompress. Since college, my anxiety levels have gone through the roof and have put me in a spot where I am having panic attacks but, I calm down whenever I have a nice cool breeze hit my face. It is hard to describe the feeling of relief but after a good walk, I feel cured. I love watching the trees sway and listening to the birds chirp around me. Nature puts my mind at ease and helps me live stress-free. When I was in Jersey, it was always so nice to walk outside without the humidity choking me. I used to have a tree swing and whenever it was nice out I would go and swing on it. It was so nice to be able to forget about my worries at home and school.

"As cities (and their industries) grew in the nineteenth century, urban parks became substitutes for nature in the raw (15.4)."

I lived in New Jersey for my entire life. In case you didn't know, New Jersey is not far from New York, they are neighbors. My childhood home was a good 40 minute drive to New York and I lacked a grassy front lawn. My house was set on a street that I was always told to be wary of. My childhood home lacked greenery and my backyard had a concrete porch if I remember correctly. The second time I moved, my backyard was a forest and this time a had a front lawn. We were a ways from where I used to live and there were trees everywhere. In the beginning, I absolutely hated it. But, I soon grew to love it later on. I would run around my neighbors backyard and laugh about the little things in life. If I had lived in the same place as I did when I was little, I would not have been given such carefree memories of being a kid.

References

Richard Paul Janaro & Thelma C. Altshuler, 2017, The Art of Being Human, 11th Edition