Lauren Schaaf- Thoreau
Last week in Environmental leadership, we discussed Thoreau's Huckleberries. One of my earlier blogs discussed Emerson's views on beauty which is very related to Thoreau since they lived together and Thoreau formed many of his views from Emerson's beliefs. He discusses the importance of education but focuses on how nature is a better teacher than books.
This reminded me of how we talked about first and second realities. Books could be considered second reality since they only describe what the author has experience. Similar to artists drawing or painting existing animals and people. An individual going out into nature and having their own personal experiences and connections with nature would allow them a first reality and greater understanding of nature.
This also allows the individual to better admire the seer's perspective. For me personally, the art I find the most beautiful is when it is very realistic and detailed paintings of nature and the world around the artist. If I had no understanding of natural landscapes, I could not fully understand the artist's perspective of what is beautiful.
Another interesting perspective Thoreau brought up in his writing is that it is what natural landscapes exist before a town is founded that makes that place unique. There is an innate beauty in nature that inspires many settlers to choose the locations they do to build their houses and start their families. When painters find beauty, they choose to portray it in a way that demonstrates their perspective and unique understanding of what is around them.
This reminded me of how we talked about first and second realities. Books could be considered second reality since they only describe what the author has experience. Similar to artists drawing or painting existing animals and people. An individual going out into nature and having their own personal experiences and connections with nature would allow them a first reality and greater understanding of nature.
This also allows the individual to better admire the seer's perspective. For me personally, the art I find the most beautiful is when it is very realistic and detailed paintings of nature and the world around the artist. If I had no understanding of natural landscapes, I could not fully understand the artist's perspective of what is beautiful.
Another interesting perspective Thoreau brought up in his writing is that it is what natural landscapes exist before a town is founded that makes that place unique. There is an innate beauty in nature that inspires many settlers to choose the locations they do to build their houses and start their families. When painters find beauty, they choose to portray it in a way that demonstrates their perspective and unique understanding of what is around them.
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