I read an article yesterday that emphasized the importance of seeing things as they are not as we project them or try to re-create them. This made me want to rewrite what I had already written to share for this class because I felt I had too rosy a description of why I'm here, why I'm interested in ecology, theology and literature. As is often the case, the whole truth is complex. The categories I chose are the same, but I think I'm doing better now. These responses seem more real and full.
A room with a view--I spent the first 13 years of my life living in an old house on high bluff over the Tennessee River. The view was everything you'd expect it to be--a winding river, a distant island, constant breezes--beautiful! What this sentence doesn't catch is the fact the house was in the city, which meant at that bend in the river the steep bluff was treacherous, the water deep, the current swift, and the air polluted.
Family outings--Long before seatbelts, my mom and dad would regularly pile five kids in the car and go on outings to the country. We explored the mountains and the mountain valleys. We went swimming in muddy lakes and cold, clear mountain streams. We hiked old civil war battlefields and narrow Indian trails. These frequent outings made it easy to fall in love with where I lived, Chattanooga Tennessee. The bad part of living surrounded by mountains had to do with coal dust. Chattanooga burned a lot of coal, and the coal dust was easily trapped by the surrounding mountains. I had asthma as a child. I did everything my family did, but the consequences were often severe breathing problems. I took strong medicine and the family doctor told my dad we needed to move or I wouldn't make it to adulthood.
Florida; haven and heaven--We moved to Niceville, Florida when I was 13. At first, I deeply resented all the sand and hot sun and a huge gulf where the salty water shoved me around and irritated my eyes. But I could breathe easily here, and I quit having asthma attacks. Hurray! And, over time, I was wooed and won by long walks with gentle breezes, gorgeous sunsets, and moving water. And the truth of my deep love for this place hit me when I discovered I was just as happy on gray, drizzly days as I was on sunny ones.
Problems in paradise--When we moved to the panhandle, the sugar white beaches were practically deserted. Seriously, there were only a few hotels for miles and miles, and only one was more than two stories tall. Since the late 60's, the explosive development along the emerald coast has created havoc with the environment—pollution, destruction of native habitat, water shortages, etc. The quality of life has been drastically reduced for the folks who live there. Among other things, there are now almost no free and open beach fronts. In fact, there are relatively few public access walkways—ugh!
Painful facts and the future--I am full of pain for what has been lost and can’t be recovered, not only in Florida but everywhere, all over the world. I am aching to get a handle on integrating my faith with what I know and feel about facing a difficult future. I love reading good writing and making meaningful connections—that’s the literature part. I love spending time in natural places and showing care toward them—that’s the ecology part. I love God and want to understand and be part of holding the pain of the world while strengthening that which remains—that’s the theology part. I’m excited about the fullness of this class experience.
No comments:
Post a Comment