The Log Flume

A disturbing thought popped into my head this weekend when I was on a rafting trip in Mississippi with LASS. There I was, floating down the slow moving Black Creek, enjoying the scenery and the fresh air pumping into my lungs. Margaret was rattling off facts about the the flora and fauna, the sun was shining, the insects were delicately singing. It was refreshing to get out of the city and enjoy the pristine beauty of this quiet Mississippi creek. As I was floating down, I found myself reminded of the log flume and similar rides at my favorite childhood amusement park. "Hey! This reminds me of Playland!" I said with nostalgia. I quickly realized that the notion of nature reminding me of an amusement park is completely warped. Rather, it is the log flume that should be reminding me of nature. I was immediately disappointed with my ideology. I contemplated my removal from nature and how my culture has constructed my understanding of the natural world. Does my culture so far remove me from Black Creek that I can only see it as a model of a ride, and visa versa? I suppose it is a romantic notion to long for an understanding and a unity with a pristine natural world. For this image of "nature" does not really exist. The fact that we separate "nature" from society in so much of our dialogue is an mistake born from anthropocentrism. In actuality, they are wholly connected. But I have to say, I cannot help but to strive for this romanticized relationship with nature in which I can exist in the environment in its untouched form. I guess Alexander Supertramp and I still have something to learn.