Planting Seeds

While reading our assigned book for this week, Terry Tempest Williams' "Refuge", I was reminded constantly of my own personal experiences with cancer and the experiences of friends. TTW's integration of wildlife and human life really impacted me, as she spoke of finding solace in solitude and silence. Her reflections on death and the death of her mother intertwined with her reflections on nature, both seeming to involve cycles (like the fluctuation in depth of fascinating Salt Lake). I definitely relate to her expressions of awe while birdwatching, and her family connection is so strong (what I assume is a tradition in the Mormon faith) that the bond between them seems to hold all their lives together and together with nature. The deep ties to the land that she described, as her family had been there for generations, are severely lacking in today's commuter, suburban society. I have lived in 7 different cities, and am only the second generation from immigrants. So, my roots are all spread out. I am not attached to a particular place because I have not spent enough time in one place to become deeply attached. I think that this is true of most people in my generation, and not only that we don't spend our lives in one place, but that we are not connected to the place. We are connected to the things- the material things that we use in that place, but not the land- not the dirt, the trees, the animal. I hope that through our "Planting Seeds" project, we can work towards reestablishing that connection with the Earth. It is difficult to imagine because we live in such a technology-dependent society. How is it that our internet connection is stronger and deeper than our connection with the planet, the entire system, that gave us and gives us life? I think we must work one day at a time, one conversation at a time, to form a new relationship with the earth; one of respect and reverence and appreciation. Other than those broad terms, I don't know what to do. I get very frustrated thinking of the state of the Earth and what seems to be irreversible damage that we humans have caused. But small steps made by many can make a difference, if only in mentality.