Ishmael, 180° South

Traditionally, nature was known as an untamed beast; weather fluctuated as it pleased and food was an unpredictable victim. For many years humans were separated into two groups, Ishmael described them as takers and leavers but, later, a more accurate description redefined these names as those who believe the earth was created to be ruled and those who did not. Those who believed they were meant to rule the earth began taking unforgivably from the planet with no sense of responsibility for the damage. To them the woods were meant to be chopped, the animals to be captured, and the water to be used without restraint. The rulers looked at their work and believed it was good; there were houses for their people, they were safe from their predators, and they rarely felt the pain of drought. The rulers saw the world and believed they had tamed it.

To this day we still live as though we were meant to rule the world, our food is mass produced and out of season, our predators are hunted and, we remain ignorant to our true role in the ecosystem. But, unlike generations before us, we have begun to sense that we are captive to a disoriented idea of nature’s wretchedness. The first time I felt as though my lifestyle was not the way it meant to be, ironically, was a slow night when I sat down to watch TV. Having watched most of the contents of Netflix I decided to try a promising looking documentary, 180° South. The moment the film began I was captivated; the film follows a group of wandering friends hoping to make it to Patagonia to climb a mountain before the snow melts. The travelers did not seek to rule nature; they appeared to be struggling to keep up as storms destroyed boats and weather created hiccups in their plans. The film showed the group travel through large cities and small civilizations. The beauty of those who lived with their land, respecting the earth showed the gross reality of our consumerist society. The takers, as their namesake suggests, take far more than they need and while the argument has been raised they are simply not aware of their captivity this does not relinquish them from the responsibility of learning and changing.  

Towards the end of the film the travelers realize they are too late, while they try to climb the melting mountain they cannot compete with the change in season so, they make their way back down and enjoy their beauty of the mountains. The movie was not wasted on the unsuccessful group; in fact I have rarely felt such a strong reaction from a movie. While the climbers do not accomplish their goal the movie does accomplish its goal. We are not meant to overrule nature, we can only climb the mountains we are allowed and we should only take what we need. The earth is not a beast which needs taming, it is our home and it needs caring for.