A Lesson on Walking

         I have enjoyed our last few class periods of lead respondent discussions on different authors and topics related to our study of nature. In particular, the discussion on walking and David Thoreau was especially thought-provoking for me. This class discussion began with analyzing the similarities and differences between transcendentalism and romanticism, which was interesting to me because these are topics I have frequently heard about, but never fully understood. Through this comparison, I learned that both concepts come out of the 18th century, but the main difference is that romanticism highlights the importance of emotions and following how one is feeling, whereas transcendentalism draws from God and the beyond for knowledge. Thoreau was a key advocate of transcendentalism, often expressing its viewpoints through his various works. 

        In this class discussion, we also analyzed several key quotes from Thoreau. In one quote, Thoreau states "Heaven is under our feet as well as over our heads." We did not heavily discuss this quote in class, but as I reflected on it after class, I found it to be powerful as it seems to be open to a few interpretations. On one hand, I think that this quote speaks to Thoreau's view on nature, as he sees the ground beneath him as heaven in that it is God's creation. In my experience, people often look up at the sky to admire God's creation and see it as heavenly, but I think this quote opens up the idea that heaven is the entire Earth that we live on, and the nature God created needs to be appreciated as such. However, on the other hand, I think this quote can be interpreted through the eyes of transcendentalism and their discussion of good vs. evil. Transcendentalists believe that humans are inherently good but can be corrupted by society and its institutions, and as a result man falls somewhere between good and evil. I think Thoreau could also be touching this notion through his quote, in saying this inherent in between of good vs. evil opens up the idea that heaven is both above and below, rather than the traditional thought of heaven being above and hell being below. I am not sure exactly how Thoreau intended this quote to be interpreted, but I think the multifaceted aspect of it and other Thoreau quotes is what makes his writings so impactful, even in the decades beyond his life.

        Thoreau also frequently wrote about walking, providing a unique perspective on how one should properly walk to appreciate nature. Particularly, in one quote Thoreau poses the question, "what would become of us, if we walked only in a garden or a mall?" Through this quote, Thoreau is emphasizing the importance of looking for areas of true nature, rather than manmade areas including gardens. This surprised me, as I see gardens as still beautiful ways to appreciate nature, yet here Thoreau is stating it is still not true nature and instead we should look for areas that naturally grow and are untouched by humans. I would be interested to see what Thoreau's view would be on gardens in the present times world, as I think that today gardens are often being built to replace the nature that was long ago destroyed through human building. For example, when I was studying abroad this summer we visited Rotterdam in the Netherlands, which is a very modern looking city with little greenery. Because of this lack of nature, one concept environmentalists had was to build gardens on the flat roofs that characterize this city (see picture 1 of a garden we visited). These gardens allow for plants and vegetables to grow, and also give children living in the city the opportunity to interact with nature when they otherwise would not be able to. I think this is an example of a garden Thoreau may approve of today, and I think there may be other situations in which Thoreau may change his viewpoint on man-made aspects of nature given that they are bringing back nature into many areas.

Picture 1: Rooftop garden in Rotterdam, Netherlands

        At the end of the class period, we also were given the opportunity to "walk like Thoreau." Essentially, we were given the following task: to walk with no distractions and look for both areas of nature that Thoreau would approve and disapprove of given what we had just learned. Picture 2 depicts one area that I found fascinating, in which the TCU landscaping has hidden piping in a large bush area. Inherently, I think Thoreau would dislike this due to the human development components. However, I personally think this is a really cool aspect, and I think it shows how TCU truly does try to maintain a beautiful and nature filled campus, even to the point of using that nature to cover some not so pretty, man-made aspects. Picture 3, on the other hand, depicts bees pollinating flowers, which is an activity I think Thoreau would greatly approve of. However, I do think it is an interesting note to point out that this is a man-made garden that the bees are pollinating in, so I did find myself questioning if Thoreau would have an issue with that. Nonetheless, I thought this activity was interesting in that it prompted me to think and walk like Thoreau, and since then I have found myself continuing to do so on my walks.

Picture 2: Pipes hidden by nature

Picture 3: Bees pollinating in man-made garden

Thank you for reading!

Emily