Learning the Hard Way
The backcountry of Alaska is one of the wildest places left in this country, an excellent place to study wildlife in it’s natural environment. To a wildlife Biology major with an overwhelming draw to the outdoors, the chance to study this wildlife would seem to be the opportunity of a lifetime. When this opportunity presented itself to me this past summer, I didn’t hesitate to take it. This would be great experience for the career path I am taking and it would give me a chance to work with professionals in the field of my studies. At the time I thought it would be a great opportunity for me to do some soul searching and spend quality time in the backcountry before I married next summer. I was expecting this summer to change me as an individual, allowing me plenty of time to reflect on my life. Never did I expect these changes to occur in the way they did. A life changing event can occur when and where they are least expected. The evening in the backcountry of Denali National Park when I made one small misstep would change my life forever. I would learn how strong love can be and gain a better perspective of what is truly important to me in my life.
It was mid June, a beautiful cloudless day in Denali National Park. I was hiking deep in the backcountry, with only the millions of mosquitoes to keep me company. I was on the fifth day of a scheduled six day trip, and I couldn’t have asked for a better week. Denali, the tallest mountain in the northern hemisphere, became visible for the first time of the year and it stayed out for the duration of my trip. Hiking in the trail less backcountry, where the grizzly bears outnumber the people by more than three to one, truly makes a person feel alone. Walking through the alpine tundra, with tiny little flowers acting as a carpet, I encountered twice as many moose as people on this trip. Never had I felt so alone and been so happy about it. Little did I know, that would all change, challenging me to be stronger than I have ever been, both mentally and physically.
The wild is a place to push yourself to the limit and take a look at who you truly are inside. “Wilderness areas have value as symbols of unselfishness” (Nash). Roderick Nash’s philosophy states that the wilderness gives people an opportunity to learn humility but they fight this because they do not have a true desire to be humble. Human-kind wants to give out the illusion that they are nature lovers when in reality, they are far from it. “When we go to designated wilderness we are, as the 1964 act says, "visitors" in someone else's home” (Nash). People do not like what they cannot control and nature is uncontrollable. Ecocentrism, the belief that nature is the most important element of life, is not widely accepted. The novel Into the Wild by Jon Krakauer depicts a young boy who goes on an exploration to teach himself the true concept of humility. Chris McCandless, the protagonist, does not place confidence in the universal ideology that human beings are the most significant species on the planet, anthropocentrism.
“I quickly came to understand that climbing Everest was primarily about enduring pain. And in subjecting ourselves to week after week of toil, tedium, and suffering, it struck me that most of us were probably seeking, above else, something like a state of grace.” (Krakauer Into thin Air, 133) As Krakauer says in this quote, many people use the beauty of nature as a form of self satisfaction. Enduring pain and suffering while in nature makes some people feel accomplished and changed. Krakauer himself sees mountain climbing as a way to achieve inner peace, and feel content with life. I share the opinion that nature is seen as a beautiful challenge, and can help bring someone to their true potential. Krakauer’s opinions on nature show the idea that conquering nature, can satisfy and ease desire. Among my own opinions, I think the same as Krakauer, even if our experiences are vast in comparison. I share similar perspectives about how the outdoors can affect one’s conscious and strive them to achieve personal goals as Jon Krakauer.
The book Into the Wild, by Jon Krakauer, was a very interesting story about a young man going to live out in the wild of Alaska. This young mans name is Chris McCandless also known as Alex Supertramp. He had a lot of courage to go out this trip facing the wild. He has set high hopes for how young he is. Graduating college than leaving directly after graduating and burned all of his money and left his car and most possessions behind. His bravery definitely had a big impact on the story. With his bravery, it seemed like he has done this before and has no weariness. Chris was very independent on his trip. He received little help from people. He got work a few times to buy gear for his trip to Alaska, other than that he was either hitch hiking or walking.
In a time where the general population is overweight and obsessed with technology, there isn’t much time for the outside world. A Walk in the Woods by Bill Bryson is about two corpulent men on a journey to walk the Appalachian Trail. At first their tale seems unlikely because of their weight and the fact that they have never hiked a day in their lives. However, it quickly turns into an inspiring story that we, as people, should use to spark our own adventure in the great unknown. Bryson writes A Walk in the Woods to encourage people to live a little and experience the great outdoors, to meet interesting people in it, and to encounter the enthralling wildlife that resides on the Appalachian Trail.
I wasn’t even outside but I could feel the warm glow the sun was projecting all across the campsite. It seemed as if the first three days were gloomy and dreary, but when the sun on the fourth day arose, it washed away the heartache I had felt. I headed out of the trailer and went straight to the river. I walked to the edge, where my feet barely touched the icy water, and I felt a sense of tranquility emanate from the river. I felt as if the whole place had transformed and was back to being the place I loved the most. That day, when we went out on the boat, I went wakeboarding for the first time without my grandma. While I was up on the board and cutting through the wake of the boat, it didn’t feel like the boat was the one pulling and guiding me, it felt like the river was pushing and leading me. It was always nice to receive the reassurance from my grandma after wakeboarding, but this time I received it from my surroundings. The trees that were already three times the size of me, seemed to stand even taller as I glided past them on the river. The sun encouraged me with its brightness and warmth, and the River revitalized me with its powerful currents. The next three days passed by with ease, I no longer needed to reminisce of what my trips used to be like. Instead, I could be present in the moment, surrounded by the beautiful natural
"98 Important Facts About . . .Animal Cruelty." . N.p., 23 Apr. 2013. Web. 13 May 2014. .
Animal cruelty can be either abuse or simply the failure to take care of an animal. Either way, whether the animal is a pet, a farm animal or wildlife, the victim can suffer terribly. According to HumanSociety.org, neglect is not giving an animal necessary food, water, shelter or vet care. Abusers of animals are five
In 1990, when he was 22 years old, Christopher McCandless ventured out into the Alaska wilderness in search for true happiness, and 2 years later he suffered a tragic death. An aspiring writer, Jon Krakauer, found McCandless’ story fascinating and chose to dedicate 3 years of his life to write a novel about him. The book entitled “Into the Wild” tells the tale of Christopher McCandless, an ill prepared transcendentalist longing for philosophical enrichment, who naïvely, failed to consider the dangers of isolating himself from human society for such a long period of time. Though Christopher McCandless made a courageous attempt to separate himself from society, in order to achieve self-fulfillment, the stubborn nature of this reckless greenhorn led him to his unfortunate demise.
Peter. "Chris McCandless from an Alaska Park Ranger's Perspective." Chris McCandless from an Alaska Park Ranger's Perspective. N.p., n.d. Web. 14 Mar. 2014.
When an animal is beaten, it not only causes the animal to be physically harmed, but it can also result in the animal receiving severe psychological damage. The abuse can cause the animal to become afraid of all humans, whether they are abusive or not. Not only can the victim become afraid of humans, it can cause it to even be hostile towards people and other animals. For example, if a dog’s previous owner was abusive, that can end in the dog being aggressive towards others due to its fear of being hurt like he/she was in the past. A tremendous part of animal cruelty that people do not recognize is the abuse of animals is linked to the abuse of humans in many cases. Animal neglect correlates with human neglect, which usually involves a child, elder, or other dependent (Animal Legal Defense Fund). In a survey, seventy-one percent of domestic violence victims said that their abuser also turned their household pet into a victim of abuse (Animal Cruelty Facts and Statistics). In a study completed in 1983, eighty-eight percent of families under investigation for child abuse partook in animal abuse along with the abuse of their child (Animal Cruelty Facts and Statistics). Not only does this cruelty affect the victims, but it can also affect the ones witnessing the violence. When someone is in the presence of violence of an animal or another person, it can affect the
“There can be many reason for animal cruelty, like any other form of violence, is often committed by a person who feels powerless, unnoticed, or under control of others. Some who are cruel to animals copy acts what they have seen or that have been done to them, others see harming an animal as a safe way to get revenge against--or threaten-- someone who cares about that animal”. (“Animal… Statistics”) Concerns towards abusing animals have gone up in the past. Although there are not many cases on animal abuse, many have occurred. Abusers are charged with Criminal Animal Abuse and then sentenced to life in prison. Some animals that are physically abused are sometimes rescued by Animal Control, and are taken it to an animal shelter. However, many shelters have not had the space to keep the animals so the workers would have to put them down (Carol Roach). Researchers have shown that the main animals getting abused are dogs, chickens, horses, and livestock (“Animal...
"Animal Cruelty Facts and Statistics : The Humane Society of the United States." RSS. N.p., n.d. Web. 18 Nov. 2013.
Activist, lawyer, father, prisoner, survivor, president, the face of equality. Nelson Mandela has an inspiring story of fighting Apartheid forces and surviving a long prison sentence all in the name of freedom and equal rights. Through Nelson Mandela’s constant fight for freedom of the African people from white apartheid forces, he was dominated by the corrupt government. After uprising numerous riots against apartheid forces, Mandela was sent to jail for twenty-seven years revealing the cruelty that humans can possess. With the strong will power and complete support of the African people, Mandela survived his prison sentence and became the first democratically elected president of South Africa exposing the strength in human nature by showing that humans can persevere through tough times. Mandela left a profound impact on the African people by saving them from corrupt Apartheid rule and bringing a democratic government. Thus teaching the world that in an event where a body of people is suppressed, they will inevitably rebel by any means necessary to gain their freedom.
When most people think of South Africa, the first name that comes to mind is Nelson Mandela. Born in 1918, during a time when white men held most of the power, there was a system of segregation against ‘colored people’ called apartheid. Throughout his life, Mandela worked to fight against this segregation and endured extreme human rights violations. Nelson Mandela is a hero because his efforts were a contributing factor in bringing an end to apartheid and he influenced major changes within the county of South Africa.
During Mandela’s early life, he had seen with his own eyes the conflict of a system which had injustice. Europeans were people of wealth and power and sustained the total control of the country, while the immense population of Africans were their servants. As a child, he had the commitment that one day he would change this injustice and to become a respected leader. His necessity to learn politics and get educated, led him to be the first member to attend school and a university[from the website of “Nelson Mandela’s foundation”]. From this, he would discover a social group that will began his legacy as a heroic character. As a nineteen year old, Mandela learned of the existence of the African National Congress (ANC), which main purpose was to defend black African rights as human beings and fighting against discriminatory laws and actions of the government through non violent action.[from the website “Mandela’s greatest liberator?”]. This was tremendously a shift towards his life, and he now had considered his main purpose in life. In his conscience, he knew he would be part of this group and that he would be fighting for not only his rights, but of the community. His relevance on politics, led him to be part of the “youth league” which was consider a preparation of the ANC [from the website “ Mandela’s the greatest