Jacquelyn Powell - Outside Reading 1

Ritual of the Wind by Jamake Highwater
“The people of North America do not think of their relationship with nature as special… there is far more emphasis upon a friendly exchange than on the supplication of humility that marks most religious rites.” P54
I like this quote because I feel like many times, when I hear people talking about nature, or I read a book about a person and their relationship with nature, I don’t think that our society truly gets what its all about. The Indians did not strive to form a special relationship with nature, they just did it. They had respect for their surroundings and showed it in everything that they did. Its sad to know how selfish people can be, and that even mainstream religions push the selfishness along. Of course, most religions will say that’s not true but they turn around and say things to contradict themselves and focus on bettering the self for you and not necessarily the whole. People also pride themselves for going out into nature but do they really appreciate it? Or are they just doing it because they heard it’s a good experience, they should try it, it will change their life? We shouldn’t pride ourselves so much on going out into nature because we ruined what was left of nature and then pat ourselves on the back for braving the wilderness.