Coming of Age at the End of Nature

The essay from Coming of Age at the End of Nature that I reflected on the most was An Orange County Almanac by Jason M. Brown. This essay mainly focused on the idea of invasive species, the example that is used by the author is the Eucalyptus trees inhabiting California. He compares the language that is used to convince people of the removal of nonnative plant species to anti immigration language. This is something that I had never really thought about before and it made me question my past experiences with working with certain organizations. In high school through the club Acting to Protect the Environment I would volunteer with organizations that would focus on the removal of invasive species and the planting of native species. During that time I did not have the tools to think critically about what I was doing and supporting therefore I did not question the work and only saw it in a positive light.

It's very interesting that the language used in both situations is very similar because currently when we think of immigrants we think of people who are from latin american who are actually native to this side of the world. Therefore that would make Europeans the invasive species that needs to be remove but that is not what is being said by those who are against immigration. This makes me wonder who decides what it means to be native and what it means to be invasive. There are very many Americans currently who think they have some sort of right over this land, end though their ancestors have only been living here for hundreds of years, as opposed to thousands of years.

This essay also provides evidence that the Eucalyptus tree is actually not incredibly damaging to the ecosystem. It states on page 72:

“Eucalyptus trees have not caused the extinction of a single species; while the trees have had a negative impact on some birds whose beaks are sealed shut by Eucalyptus sap, they also provide critical winter habitat to migrating monarch butterflies and other native species that have now adapted to them”

This statement makes me want to do research about the impacts that nonnative plant species have on ecosystems. It would be incredible if similar evidence was found for the majority of nonnative plant species.

Growing Pains

There is a commonality in the titles of the books we just read. Each juxtaposes a progressive narrative with a declensionist one. Coming of age but at the end of nature, and Building a thriving resistance but in toxic times. In their similarities, I find a truth. Perhaps our generation is coming of age, figuring out what it is meant to do, as it takes the main stage. The current generation takes the helm at an interesting time when we are more aware of anthropocentric consequences than any other generation. In other words, we are about to inherit a planet that is deemed to be in "toxic time" / "at the end of nature".  I find it problematic to call our current affairs the end of nature. I do not believe nature is ending nor do I believe it can end fully, but the definition of nature can be challenged and changed. It has been many times, as each generation has had to face their own end of nature, or end of the world, or just life as they knew it.
The reality is, each generation has had to face drastic change whether it be for better or worse and now it is our turn. The difference here, though, is that we are facing the state of the world as a product of all past actions. Thusly, I would go as far as to call it humanity's coming of age. The upcoming generation claims ultimate responsibility for the accumulation of poor decisions. In the wise words of Kurt Vonnegut "so it goes". I do not mean to come off complacent I simply mean this is how it is. So as the current generation rises up they face a type of Indra's Net of issues. Each issue is connected and reflects any changes made in another. I find myself pondering how to take action to set off a positive chain of events and avoid a negative one. Joyful militancy offers words of wisdom and hope. I summarize it with a succinct quote from Rebecca Solnit, "for joy to flourish, it needs sharp edges".

It is no secret the world is facing incredible upheaval, but when the growing pains of this generation subside I have hope that good will come of the struggle.

Tribalism and the Allure of Victory

In this new world of constant sensory input and instant gratification from social media our society has fragmented to a degree not seen before. Especially evident in the past few years, our political and social discourse has degraded to a point where neither side is able or willing to see the other's point of view. The current course of western society can best be described as a descent into tribalism. By tribalism I mean that everyone is grouping up into "teams", or groups of likeminded individuals who share an ideology. These ideologies have consistently been ramping up their discourse and become more aggressive, more hostile, and more unwilling to try and find common ground. As we discussed in the great conversation we had as a class on Thursday, this tribalistic mindset is not only degrading our social structures, but it is slowing our progression towards creating positive change and harmony of the kind we'd like to see in the world.

I believe tribalism is closely related to identity politics, which has made a significant rise in the political ecology of our country in recent years. I know many individuals within the struggle of marginalized people believe that identity politics is a very important aspect in creating meaningful social change. However I would put forward the notion that by creating groups of distinct people with distinct identities we are only fracturing our communities and creating more separation between groups who might disagree with each other. I believe this to be the wrong direction to go in, and that much more positive change would be created by actively trying to find common ground and shared values between communities that might identify differently. We are all human beings, and we all are a part of the United States, which despite its obvious and many flaws is still a pretty amazing country that we are all very lucky to live in.

The idea of Joyful Militancy is one we could all examine more, and really think about what it means to us individually. To me, it means to take joy in the struggle, to be happy with the process, and not the result, to see that by each day of 'resisting', or struggling against something that we believe to be wrong is where joy comes from. Like we discussed on the very first day of class, it is very doubtful that there will ever be a day of ultimate victory. Like the Hydra, there is always going to be another head to slice off, another battle to fight, another injustice to face. If we are never content in the process, and instead are constantly searching for that final penultimate victory, than we shall always be defeated, we shall always be downtrodden, and we shall live our lives in meaningless depression that takes us nowhere but down. So look around, be grateful for the sunshine and the freedom we have. Be grateful for your friends and families. Be grateful in the process and be grateful in the struggle. Because that is where we find meaning, and meaning is where we find real joy.

My Coming of Age at the End of Nature

The essays in Coming of Age at the End of Nature were brilliant. Young writers from the millennial age group, share their stories about growing up in a constantly changing environment where we are faced with transforming landscapes and the impact that is having on our Planet. We are living in the time of climate change influenced by our societies and global civilization. Coming of age at the “end of nature” to me means figuring out who we are in relation to our environment. It is discovering our place on the Planet, and where we belong.

The reason for so many of these complex environmental issues is the human-nature divide. The nature/culture dichotomy has separated people from nature. Coming of age in this time means discovering that we are not separate from nature. It is re-discovering that we are nature. Our actions have impact across ecosystems and the entire planet. In college, I am redefining my definition of nature from what I once viewed as this pristine, untouched by humans “wilderness” (which is a social construction, and feeds into the dichotomy) to including people and culture into the landscape which takes many forms. In a way, it’s a loss of innocence. The romantic notion of nature we once had has been debunked. Our generation is faced with all the problems in the world that we are learning about in our Environmental Studies courses. This knowledge and awakening is essential if we are to repair the damage to our Earth and our lives.

After reading the stories of many individuals in Coming of Age at the End of Nature, I’ve begun to reflect about experiences growing up with my environment. Growing up in Miami Beach, there was flooding after any thunderstorm or intense rainy day. Flooded streets were nothing surprising. I remember walking in parts of the streets, depending on the elevation, through knee-high water. I didn’t understand what was happening when I was younger. I assumed it was normal, because we live on an island below sea level. I saw people bringing out their kayaks on those days and kayaking through the streets because it was so flooded. I didn’t think it was a problem, it would drain away in a couple hours anyway. It wasn’t until I learned about climate change through Al Gore’s famous documentary film and in my environmental science class in high school where I was suddenly brought to reality about what we were experiencing in Miami Beach. Sea level rise caused by anthropogenic climate change. About every climate change documentary I’ve seen since references Miami Beach when explaining the impacts. When I see the streets of my home on the screen of documentary on Netflix, it hits me all over again that in the future, my beloved city will be under the sea.

The city of Miami Beach embarked on an over $100 million dollar project to install storm-water pumps and raise the streets as a flood prevention project to curtail the rising sea levels impact on our island. I’ve witnessed all the construction every time I go home for breaks from college. The construction is complete, but there is still flooding. Mayor Levine always states this flood prevention project will buy our city 50 years at best, before the flooding gets real bad and the island goes underwater. He says that proudly, but it’s short-term thinking. The most boggling part is not everyone is concerned! People are continuing their day to day life not facing the urgency of this issue. It makes me feel useless because climate change is not an issue we can solve overnight. I think of all the islands and coastal cities and towns in the world...what are we going to do? Abandon our homes and move inland (what about the folks who cannot afford to do that?). This is happening slowly over time, and because of that slow violence, people aren’t alarmed. In Florida, a policy passed banning officials from using the terms “climate change” and “global warming”, in a place most affected by this problem they are censoring climate change.

How to Heal at the End of Nature

    In one of the readings for this week the topic of boundary lines were discussed as to how they affect interactions and influence thinking. I think humans are unique creatures because we developed complex societal roles for us to live together and function in a way that supposedly benefits everyone. Something we created is our constructed distinctions. Lines and boundaries have been made to keep "order" and common understanding in society. Jason Brown's article mostly dissects this in the distinction of nature and society. Nature, in the case of Brown's in orange county and other cities was a destination to be traveled to. Urban areas are not seen as natural, and do not offer the same feeling as gazing out in vast open spaces. However, this feeling is man made. Cites can be natural and beautiful. Especially if more natural spaces and vegetation is incorporated into its planning. Ron Finley's talk about urban gardening proved these boundaries have gone too far when he was arrested for planting carrots in an effort to have healthy food in the south central LA food desert. These boundary lines ingrained into our civilization have to be enforced to keep society functioning in its current state. These boundary lines exist not just in controlling populations. They affect our thinking and understanding of the world.

   Boundary lines also affect language and thought. Language creates thought. The common example is the number of names for snow in the Inuit language compared to english. Scientific language has its objective and removed grammar in its classifications, but it isn't the absolute knowledge to classify the subject. In many cases too much reliance on one field of study narrows our understanding of its absolute nature. Ron Finley pointed out it just puts it into a box and can act to limit understanding. After all the byproduct of scientific understanding was the loss of our connection to nature. What was once a powerful and benevolent force turned into a machine we can study, control, and extract resources from to better our understanding and quality of life. Now we are experiencing the negative effects that relationship with nature has caused. The eucalyptus example of Brown's essay also showed humans' limited understanding of natural ecosystems and how the same words used to explain removal of invasive species are used in immigration and the removal of peoples. Why is it that natural areas are separate from human civilization when those humans civilizations were removed in the creation of those vast beautiful areas. In the end it is language that creates boundaries and lines of how we think and live our lives. Live our lies.

   Americans have the right to pursue happiness, but what is happiness. The book Joyful Militancy points out how our culture tells us to work hard and find happiness through money and material items, but happiness is never reached. Again, language controls our thought and shifts the messages and our understanding. What if we were told to find joy? joy comes and goes while happiness is a destination. Our work to find happiness shuts out some of the interactions we could have if instead we were to find joy. We're to busy in our own little drama to realize the existence of others who can be caught in that same way of thinking. Instead we should find the joy of interacting with others and the realization that everyone is doing the best they can with what they got. Spreading joy instead of happiness is a small but powerful shift in our thinking. When we realize the boundaries and distinctions in our society, in both our interactions with ourselves and nature we will be able to shift cultural expectations of thinking and enact a new and lasting changes for future peoples to come.    

       

Coming of Age at the End of Nature

Coming of Age at the End of Nature

I interpret "Coming of Age at the End of Nature," as being a generation living through a time where the idea of "nature" is changing. This is a time where the word "nature" is being redefined and there is a huge realization and acknowledgement of how humans and nature are intertwined.

Personally, as we continue through time, I believe it continually becomes more difficult to effectively separate nature and humans. Past concepts and ideologies of nature are being altered in a way that resonates with newer generations. The idea that "nature" is only "nature" if it is pristine and untouched by humans is being challenged. Rather, everything is interwoven and it is critical to recognize and accept this relationship in order to effectively coincide to work as one.

However, there is a resistance from many who strongly hold onto past ideologies of nature.

BUT WHY?!

Why is there a social stigma that it is bad for humans to be involved with "nature?" Quite the opposite, I believe it is beneficial to recognize this very real connection. While I understand that humans have caused significant negative impacts on nature, I believe the first step towards a better, smoothly flowing world, is an understanding that humans are NOT separate from nature.

The idea that humans are separate is what leads to the exploitation of the land. Humans disconnect themselves from the planet and these resources, therefore, are able to exploit the land without any feelings of guilt. However, if it is acknowledge that they are part of this very complex web of connections, it allows for better management. This bridges that disconnect and brings to light how this exploitation of nature is in fact harming humans as well.

Lauren McCrady makes a huge argument that recognizes this relationship between humans and nature in her essay, "My Present Is Not Your Tombstone." McCrady states that, "once again, I stubbornly refuse to allow writers such as Abby and Gordon to dictate and determine when a place has lost its authenticity and value."

The world "nature" is constantly being redefined and moves in fluidity through time. One person's definition of "nature" can significantly differ from another person's definition. But, that's okay! We should not fear these changes or differences, but rather accept it and do our best to maintain a good, sustainable life for all.

There is No End for Nature

“Coming of age at the end of nature”, what this quote means to me?! The simple but also complex word ‘Nature’ is so fantasized in our society.

Nature can have many forms in an individual's eye.

Nature has many meanings to many people and

what nature means to me is the beauty of non-man made areas.

Nature needs to be seen by everyone and everyone needs to know nature is actually everywhere not a destination away from their home.

People are not needing to travel to nature like camping is a form of being in nature when nature is right in your backyard the grass, flowers in your yard, the air we all breathe. My view on the topic of if I have experienced or believe that I am part of this idea ‘coming of age at the end of nature’. I have to say nature be around after this society leaves earth. So nature will always exist with humans and also without. Nature was here before humans and nature be around after humans are gone.

It does sadden me that the society I am living in, is over consuming our world resources and this is causing animals and other people struggle greatly. We are a society that our possessions show our status in our world, not the kind we could have for one another. My perspective is that ‘nature’ that’s not man-made is needing top priority to be protected more than other other areas of our world that’s man-made.