Read 'n' Seed 2: First Quarter of "The Fate of Nature"

For the first Read 'n' Seed, I completed Part I and Part II of "The Fate of Nature" by Charles Wohlforth.  This ended up being 13 chapters and 116 pages.  The first part mainly discusses some history of Alaska and attempts to define humans and human nature.  In the first seven chapters, Wohlforth challenges the reader to really think about themselves and think about past events that have lead us to where we are today in terms of our relationship with the earth.  In Part II, he moves on to discuss the Enlightenment period in Alaska and influences of that time.  He tells the story of Captain Cook discovering Alaska and ends with a preview discussion based on conservation.  The next part of the book will go in depth about how conservation started and why we should care.  All of this is a philosophical way to look at how we treated the earth in the past, and the implications for the future.

While I was reading, I found myself thinking in a metaphysical way.  Wohlforth almost drew it right out of me.  What is reality?  How do we know?  What is human nature?  In the beginning, one topic that stood out to me the most was the Chugach people the inhabited Prince William Sound.   They believed in the spirit and connection of everything in life.  As we might walk over the grass and rocks as if they are nothing, the Chugach people see each blade of grass and each pebble to have a life, a meaning, a purpose, and a connection to us.  Even driftwood was viewed as a gift from a higher power because it could be reused in a new way.  This mindset really stood out to me in Wohlforth's illustration because I wanted to know how we grew so far away from that school of thought.  I began to realize why this book is important to read and how I could learn from it.

Wohlforth writes about cultures such as the Chugach people so that we can learn from their history.  He stresses that we need to look into our past as a nation and an environment if we want to move forward.  I have only skimmed the surface so far in the text, but I see where he is going with it.  We cannot just be selfish and pretend that what we do does not impact the world around us.  Wohlforth talks about people being blind and living in a state of their own "blindness."  We are all blind to certain things, simply because we do not know or have not discovered them yet.  However, we have evidence and proof of how the environment is crumbling because of our every day actions.  How can we be so blind to something that we have seen?  Because it is easier to be blind than to open our eyes and make a difference.  This is such a simple concept, and yet, it is so essential for us to understand, especially in the context of this class.  We must take the blinders off to look into the past and the future and understand that we are connect and we do make a difference.

I am excited to see where Wholforth take me in the following chapters.  I know it seems a little bit like rambling and is more philosophical than factual, but that is his style when he writes.  I hope you all can follow what I said and pull out the main message.