Natural Escape

Nature Views and Viewpoints for November
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"A man could be a lover and defender of the wilderness without ever in his lifetime leaving the boundaries of asphalt, powerlines, and right-angled surfaces. We need wilderness whether or not we ever set foot in it. We need a refuge even though we may never need to go there. I may never in my life get to Alaska, for example, but I am grateful that it's there. We need the possibility of escape as surely as we need hope; without it the life of the cities would drive all men into crime or drugs or psychoanalysis."

From DESERT SOLITAIRE by Edward Abbey

"It would, of course, be very reckless to assume that an animal's consciousness is exactly like ours. We do belong to a unique species and probably have both the keenest intelligence and the most vivid emotions (though not the keenest senses) in the whole animal kingdom. But if we really are animals, then the difference is hardly likely to be as great as the difference between sentience and automatism. If our consciousness "evolved," it must have evolved from something in some degree like it. If we have thoughts and feelings, it seems at least probable that something analogous exists in those from whom we are descended."

From "Man and Beast" by Joseph Wood Krutch

IF YOU'D LIKE TO EXPLORE SOME MORE...

Two of the writers whose work I find impressive are Edward Abbey and Henry David Thoreau. There are excellent Web sites devoted to them and their writing and careers, and you'll probably enjoy them if you are interested in these themes.