What does it mean to be human? (final)

Humans evolved from nature and have led most of their lives under the impression they simultaneously evolved beyond nature. It is this fantasy which brought humans to make a decision, to take more than what nature offered. This is where our class began, with takers. Ishmael explained the earth was created as a place of balance, creatures give and take; one day a dear eats and the next the dear is eaten. It is this balance which has sustained our planet and its species for so long. But, when humans decided they were above this system they began to threaten the whole balance.

For many, being human means the right to rule. To rule other species, agriculture, and the planet in general but, I believe being human means a choice. Humanity is the choice to fall into the balance of nature, to respect our origins, or to continue in our parent’s paths, assuming the role of a divine power. I do not believe this choice is an easy one to make but I do fear the future if we are too arrogant to admit our mistakes.

To asses this question of give and take I choose a song by Jack Johnson called “Talk of the Town”. Jack Johnson advocates for a simple lifestyle, to do what you love and to take only what you need. This song is very simply about appreciating nature. I thought it did a wonderful job showing how humans, despite our advances, are still in awe of nature. It is impossible not to admire the tones of the sky as the sun sets and changes from bright red to a light violet or the balanced path nature rarely seems to sway from.

This text directly contrasted the in class text I choose, the video MAN.  In the video MAN a seemingly friendly man waves at the audience before demolishing everything around him to demonstrate his superiority. At the end of the video the pleasantly windy skies and green grass have been replace by piles of gritty gray trash and a small throne on which he sits alone. Unlike Jack Johnson the video takes the stance of a ruler. These two forms of media represent the choice we can make to coexist or to destroy.

In this project I worked on assembling the script and answering questions for the script with Charlie. I also annotated the video MAN for our smaller group. I believe these two smaller groups worked well though it was difficult to create and organize a script for such a large group of people. If I were to do this project again I would have liked the only group portion to be a small skit and preferably with less people. Such a big group was difficult to organize and make sure the work was evenly distributed. I also would suggest having the annotations of in class texts fall into the individual portion of the assignment. These were particularly difficult to organize and seemed to give some people more work than others. I think assigning each person 1 or 2 in class texts to annotate along with an outside source would be more effective. I really did enjoy the final product. I believe our game show is a fun performance and does a good job of summarizing a lot of the information we learned in class. 

A life Defined by Death

The question of Chris McCandless’ cause of death is truthfully a question of character. Was he a brilliant mind seeking solace only to be betrayed nature or was he a selfish, overconfident, boy brought to learn his limits in his own mortality? Krakauer’s book, Into the Wild, creates an unclear character. McCandless seems to slip easily in between an intelligent, agreeable, friend and a stubborn, judgmental, son.  Chris McCandless and his return to nature have captured the attention of many; the idea of living in a natural state among the wild is a romantic one but few are willing to subject themselves to such a test and they idolize those who do. This idea requires a worthy person who embodies the desire to live a simpler life. Their motives for actions contribute just as much too their merit as their actions. It is this which makes McCandless’ death such an important aspect of his story.

In Krakauer’s book he offers an explanation for McCandless’ death, the presence of a toxic alkaloid in the potato seeds which had become a staple of his diet. This explanation allowed McCandless to maintain a certain sense of heroism, the food did not appear to have an obvious affect on his health until it was too late, nature had tricked him. It was this explanation which preserved McCandless’ purer personality, his excursion was one of self discovery for which he had prepared, he was able to gather food and survive rough weather and, if it weren’t for the potato seed, he could have existed this way as long as he wanted. This was preferable to the foolish young boy who ran out into nature for attention only to find he was unable to sustain himself and starved to death out of stubbornness.

In 2007 Dr. Clausen completed an analysis of the seeds and declared them harmless, saying “I’d eat it myself”. With this announcement Krakauer and many others lost a little faith in Chris McCandless. They began questioning his competence and in that, his character.  Krakauer’s voice in the article seemed more desperate as he attempted to salvage the valor of McCandless. After months of research Krakauer found what he was searching for, an amino acid named Hedysarum alpinum. After a second test the seeds were said to contain .394 per cent beta-ODA, well within levels harmful to humans. As McCandless was already suffering from malnutrition the seeds caused significantly more damage leading to his death.

Even in today’s society we idolize those who are able to connect with nature on a higher level. Documentaries follow rock climbers and skiers as they explore unknown mountains and people respect those who find peace in the solitude and simplicity of forests. But just as quickly as we revere this group of people we condemn those who cannot survive in the nature we originated from. Chris McCandless cause of death was examined not to determine what killed him but rather if he was an unlucky idol or an important lesson.

I too find myself charmed by nature, jealous of those who are free from the inexplicable need for consumerist goods but, it seems wrong to me to decipher the meaning of one’s life through the cause of their death.  Prepared or not McCandless’ walk into the wild should be defined by his successes as well as his failures. This means not separating his good characteristics from his bad but allowing them to coexist just as they did in his life.

Vine Project

One of my closest interactions with nature is distinguishing between synthetic forms of nature used by companies as an advertizing tactic and genuine nature. Over these past few years I have seen the word “natural” become the central selling point for foods, hygiene products but perhaps the most apparent, makeup. As a girl it is hard not to notice the different makeups which can give you a “natural” look. I hoped to use this fist video to demonstrate the irony of these “natural” products.
https://vine.co/v/MJwIBUDLOqM
vine 1

I have always been interested in my dogs, whether or not they would be considered part of nature or not. As humans we often remove ourselves from nature, considering ourselves to be outside of it but is this true for our pets as well. My dogs have been tamed so far beyond their natural state that even though their origins are hunting dogs they are content to share the small yard with napping bunnies and slow squirrels. However when they play with each other their growls and playful bits seem so far from the obedient dogs I know. Whether they are nature or they simply encourage me to go out into nature I am not sure but either way this is my happiest relationship with nature.
https://vine.co/v/MJwjVDEBZDj
vine 2

The third video is to show what I find most interesting about humans relationship with nature. No matter how much we encourage ourselves to go outside and take a walk it is rare we step beyond the cement path. We follow the concrete as though it is our own yellow brick road with beautiful images waiting to corrupt us on either side. As children we are taught to keep off the grass and the longer we follow the rule the harder it is to break.
https://vine.co/v/MJwIWKPL59E
vine 3