Thoughts to William Cronon

Cronon says, "Although wilderness may seem today to be just one environmental concern among many, it in fact serves as a foundation for a long list of other such concerns that on their face seem quite remote from it. That is why its influence is so pervasive and, potentially, so insidious."
I have to disagree with Cronon. It is true that wilderness should be taken into some concern but that it is evasive and possibly insidious is not something that I would agree with. Wilderness is needed for a chance to find oneself. Sure the trees and foliage we have in our own neighborhoods offer relaxation as a "breath of fresh air." But wilderness in its true setting are necessary for one to cleanse him or herself and dig deep to find what the individual soul is trying to say and teach. How can one be lost in deep thought and meditation when cars fly by on a close busy street? How can the soul inspire when a family member or roommate has music playing at a decibel level enough to cause distraction? How can the soul grow without an opportunity to strengthen itself against temptation and fear. Those are where the victories are won. It is when one pushes him or herself to their capacity that strengthening occurs. And I think that solitude in the wilderness is a necessary means to those self sustaining victories. It's difficult to find oneself constantly surrounded by others.

Civil Disobedience

With regards to civil disobedience, I can't think of one thing that I, personally, would do like what those other people from Earth First! were doing. I believe there are other ways to get the point across. Most of the time I've learned, when you fight like that against something, the other side fights just as much. So it's essentially a lose-lose situation when you really look at it. So the people that enjoy doing that, my hat's off to them but you ain't gonna catch me living in a tree or sabotaging businesses just to prove a point. Things can be dealt with in a better way I feel. So with the question of if I would do something like that for what I believe in, my answer is no. Like I said a sentence ago, there are other ways to come to an agreement with people. And ruining their things doesn't make the situation any better and perhaps can extend the time of the feud. I gave 2 years of my life for what I believe in most in my life. I served a mission for the LDS "Mormon" Church. Sure we quarreled with people about points of doctrine and beliefs, but the reality is that people are going to do what they want to do and what they believe in. And you have to respect that. And if not, then you better learn to because it'll just end up ruining your day. I never wanted to force things on anybody. If they wanted to believe, that was great. If not, they have things to do as did I. No hard feelings and we went our ways. I just think that if you deal with people in the proper way, with respect and a genuine concern, an agreement will eventually be made. And these sorts of acts are probably not the best way to handle such stuations.