The wildman that ate his epiphany

            The movie Into the Wild was an enjoyable movie to watch in addition to presenting many issues to contemplate. During the movie the main character Chris cannot stand the lifestyle society has created. He feels that a lot of society has created a society that does not bode happiness because people are constantly being mean to one another for the sole reason to “succeed”. Today society tells us that success is a 4 bedroom house, with a wife, two or three kids and two cars. Society as a generalization has removed any sort of deep understanding with nature to finding one’s place in life. One of the concepts that I was very intrigued with was when Chris said something along the lines of everybody must test themselves in the primitive form of nature. This was very interesting to me because of my past experience with this. Just like the movie, I have tested myself up in the arctic in similar ways to Chris. I went on a 50 day canoe trip in the Yukon. During this time I was not alone but with four other guys and a guide. During the movie, importance was given to finding yourself alone while in the wilderness. I did not challenge myself in this way, but during the 50 days we had no contact with our families, friends, or camp, we were essentially on our own. I believe that my experience had a similar affect on me as the experience in the movie, except for the fact I didn’t die. My experience in the wilderness, becoming part of the land, has been one of my best experiences in my life. It taught me to look more deeply at the various integrated parts of nature. It also taught me that as a human I am not above any of these parts, but an equally vital part like the rest. My experiences taught me to expand my “horizons” and include nature in the debate of what is important in this world.

Animal crackers in my soup.....

Animal rights are something that I have had exposure to over the years. My sister is a vegetarian, and has been for 7 years. She has made the decision to not eat meat because of the cruel treatment of the animals. I was always skeptical about her decision because in my mind meat is great, and it’s also hard to see how one person can make an impact. I was 14 then and a little ignorant, but not I understand why she made that decision. I feel that animals have turned into a commodity. It can be in a more literal sense by trading and selling livestock for slaughter, or it can be something like having wild animals in a compound for tourism purposes. I believe that animals deserve rights, and not just the ones that we deem to be intelligent. The fact that animals can feel pain and have many different emotions means that they have human-like qualities. It is hard to understand why people exploit animals for financial gains when they have characteristics your son or daughter might have. I feel that animals have so much more to offer than to be in a cage to be looked at (for a price), or to be in a Styrofoam container wrapped in plastic wrap in the freezer at your local supermarket. Many times animals are taken advantage of and not given a choice of a future. Even though I enjoy eating meat, I feel that the way animals are treated around the world is wrong, and that they deserve rights, especially the right to prosper.

The Land Ethic

The land ethic is something i feel is of growing importance in today's society. Specifically in our great cities across the country. I felt a connection with the movie "The Sprawling of America: Inner City Blues", due to being a lifelong inner city boy myself. I went to a high school that is far different than most here at CSB|SJU, which is, very diverse. In my high school i was a minority, so my experiences are far different. One thing that grasps me from growing up in the city is the division of neighborhoods. For example the difference crossing over the Mississippi river and going from Northeast Minneapolis to North Minneapolis has a drastic change. The neighborhood of north Minneapolis is stricken with poverty and is seen as the "ghetto". It astounds me to see the dreadful living conditions and housing that is most common over north side. When the tornado came through this summer the division of neighborhoods was evident. There was a lack of urgency for much of the north side. The electricity for some residents was long as 3 weeks coming since the tornado. Many people felt that the city was intentionally not placing high priority to replacing the standard of living over north. I feel that the city has intentionally not placed much emphasis over north side to make it better except for the increase in cop protection. I feel that this is similar to Detroit in the sense of "white flight". These experiences make me who i am and give me a broader sense of importance within my hometown of the twin cities.