2011
Forum
Guest Editorial: Reconnecting with the beauty o f nature
F rancesca V arela
When was the last time you
stood beneath the sky? Perhaps
during a few hurried minutes
between commutes. If you're
like most people, you don't
even look up. As a society, we
have lost our connection to
nature. It seems high school
students, especially, are
deprived of connection to the
natural world.
We are a culture obsessed
with media. According to a
study conducted by the Kaiser
Family Foundation, students
ages eight to 18 spend over
seven hours a day using
electronic devices. The same
study claimed that excessive
media use lowers grade
point averages, and may be
contributing to the epidemic
of obesity. Is this a worthwhile
way to spend our time?
The Journal of Optometry
and Vision Science also found
that those who spend most of
their time inside tend to have
poorer long-distance vision
than those who spend more
time outdoors.
To counter these negative
effects of modern life, The
National Wildlife Federation
has launched a "Be Out
There" program. It encourages
children, and people in general,
to spend more time playing
outside. They state that less
time in front of a screen will
im p ro v e fitn e ss le v e ls , re d u c e
ADHD symptoms raise test
scores, and lower stress. In
fact, studies have shown that
just looking at photographs of
nature can reduce anxiety.
President Barack Obama
signed a Presidential
Memorandum on April 16,
2010, titled the "America's
Great Outdoors" initiative.
In the Memorandum,
President Obama cited
among conservation effi
his goal was to "reco:
Americans, especially children,
to America's rivers and
waterways, landscapes of
national significance, ranches,
farms and forests, great parks,
and coasts and beaches.
There was once a time when
nature was all there was. It
wasn't even that long
ago. An excerpt from
the introduction of
author Richard
Louv's book,
"Last Child in
the Woods:
Saving Our
Children
from Nature-
Deficit
Disorder"
that, "within
the space of a
few decades, the way children
understand and experience
nature has changed radically.
The polarity of the relationship
has reversed. Today, kids are
aware of global threats to
the environment—but their
physical contact, their intimacy
with nature, is fading."
And as development,
pollution and progress
swiftly increase, so does our
detachment from the natural
world. We have come to
view ourselves as completely
separate from nature. This is
not the case. Our connection to
nature. Perhaps we have lost
some of the knowledge to do so
in the past century, but not the
physical capability.
Despite money and our
convoluted societal systems,
we still rely on the environment
for our food and water. Money
is only
in some way. A love for nature
will lead to the desire to protect
it. The poetic flourishes of
a leaf might be explored in
English class, the angles of the
sun in math, or the lifestyles
of Earth-based cultures in
history, but one must
see it to truly
g|
extra step. The food
chain, the water cycle and the
sun are our true providers. We
need to respect and protect
our mother Earth. After all, we
can't live without her.
School is one of the greatest
culprits in our detachment
from nature. Since childhood,
we've been forced to spend
almost all day inside. Some
classrooms in our school don't
even have windows; we are
trapped in prison-like cells.
Curriculum could
incorporate outdoor
experiences quite easily.
Anything can be tied to nature
appreciate it.
Whatever the
means, an emphasis
should be placed on
the environment in all
subjects, not just ecology
or environmental science.
Give us fresh air. Let us feel
the rain upon our skin, and we
shall be healthier and happier
than ever before.
This mentality was shared
by Joseph Knowles, author
of "Alone in the Wilderness."
This long-lost novel chronicles
the true story of Knowles'
two month experiment when
he entered the woods of
northern Maine completely
naked. Alone, and without
the aid of any tools, he lived
off of the land just to prove
it could be done. Upon his
return to civilization, he was
physically stronger, wise in the
ways of the wilderness and
enlightened.
His message to readers at
the end of his journey was
all living things, to the Earth
itself, is proven by science.
Graffiti and writing in bathrooms proves problematic
The theory of evolution
states that all life on Earth
came from a single cell. We
are technically related to every
animal and plant that exists
on this planet. Our human
ancestors have adapted
specifically to the Earth's
natural conditions, therefore,
we are designed to live in
P atrick D ouglas ________________
West Linn High School, 5464 West A Street, West Linn, OR 97068
(503) 673-7843 »fax: (503)657-8710 •
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Member of the National Scholastic Press Association
It's been a long day. You're
anxiously anticipating the
bell at the end of sixth period,
not because school is boring,
but because you have to go to
the bathroom. It seems to be
taking forever. The day ends
and you run frantically to
the nearest restroom. While
in the bathroom, you look
up. What's this? A swastika.
More than that, the wall is
covered in disgusting images
of human reproductive
organs and profanity of the
harshest nature.
The fact is, the bathroom
is a perfect place to write
things. It's anonymous, and
many people will be forced
to look at it at some time or
another. It's nothing to rejoice
about. I appreciate people's
comments and opinions, but
only in a public format. The
bathroom is not such a forum.
The types of writing
on the stall walls are
usually offensive. I've seen
homophobic remarks and
hateful messages. Sometimes
it's more than just words.
I'm pretty sure I've also seen
bum marks from a lighter on
the toilet paper container. I
once walked into a bathroom
to find an entire roll of toilet
paper covered in urine. There
was also an instance last year
where some guy released
excrement on the floor in the
locker room, and it smelled
awful in there for quite
awhile.
"Let me appeal to every man,
woman, and child to take
advantage of the wonderful
bounty that nature offers...
let them understand the wild
creatures, who have souls like
themselves. Let them abandon
all things artificial and really
live. Let them answer the call
of the natural mother—she has
blessing untold to bestow. In
a word, let humanity be bom
again."
A shift in the mind set of our
generation is necessary. The
world is alive, bright and vivid.
Go explore it. See the great
cedar trees that stretch into the
clouds. Feel the cold water of
a distant creek drip between
your fingertips. Listen to the
wind, the ferns, the owl. There
is no better way to spend your
time than where you were truly
meant to be.
Stop leaning on luxury.
Don't place so much
importance on electronics or
money. In comparison to the
boundless wonders of life,
these things mean nothing.
Erase the constraints
set upon you by society—
convenience, sloth,
indifference. There's so much
you can leam from the life
around you. Visit nature at a
park, on a camping trip, even
in your own backyard. No
image on a screen can replace
the real thing.
Photos by Alex Houston and Laurel Massaro, Graphic by Patrick Douglas
A collection of writing on walls in both the female and male bathrooms
shows the recurring problem of bathroom graffiti. People continue to deface
school property, a trend which reflect poorly on the school and its students.
"It's disheartening when
we see it, because it shows a
lack of respect for the school
and the building," Bill Ray,
head custodial engineer,
said. Graffiti shows up
everywhere, whether it be in
the bathroom or on the side
of the building. However, It
hasn't been as bad this year,
according to Ray.
Things written in the
bathroom can sometimes
be funny or witty. Most
often, however, they're
just downright offensive.
Any way you look at it,
it's destruction of public
property. The bathrooms are
unpleasant enough without
people writing things on the
walls or on the toilet-paper
dispenser.
It's hard to say what can be
done about this issue, since
we can't really police the
bathrooms. While it would be
hilarious to arrest someone
for writing stuff on the walls,
it's not really realistic.
continued on page 6