Herzog and Emerson!

Nature provides an outlet for us that we might not even realize. One of my friends is an artist. Her favorite techniques for promoting creativity and inspiration is going out into nature and starting from there. I have seen her create beautiful works of art based off the movement of jellyfish. I have seen her view of the world through the lens of her art. Emerson’s essay, Nature, deals with theories of nature and how it should be experienced rather than observed. Once again, viewing Herzog’s amazing documentary styles in Cave of Forgotten Dreams, I became amazed with the beauty of the art in the cave. It does really bring you back to the history of mankind.

Emerson states in his essay, “All the facts in natural history taken by themselves, have no value, but are barren, like a single sex. But marry it to human history, and it is full of life.” This quote resonated with me because of the beauty in it. If you think about the Seven Wonders of the World, they are considered wonders because we can tie them to the history of mankind. The current list of the Seven Wonders of the World shows a broad definition of societal beliefs - Machu Picchu in Peru, Christ the Redeemer Statue in Rio de Janeiro, the Great Wall of China in China, and Taj Majal in India. They are rich and bold with the blood of mankind. Within these Seven Wonders, we are able to find pieces of history and of ourselves.

Herzog’s documentary was dramatic (as well all know), but it still left me with a sense of wonder. History is not the only important aspect, though. We must be able to go out there and throw our senses into nature. When someone visits nature, they find pieces of themselves within it. One of Emerson’s points is that, “Nature is the symbol of particular spiritual facts.” We are able to use this relationship to tap into certain characteristics of humanity. In his essay, he talks about how our language is used to show the relationship we share with nature. We easily use, “Courageous as a lion” to depict the courage someone conquers fear to triumph. We are shaped by nature because we have this relationship with nature.

I think, ultimately, a lot of what Herzog depicted in his documentary was meant to show the relationship of man with art and nature. We are all wrapped in nature, but we need to take time to experience that nature if we want to connect with the world around us. We have the urge to visit the Seven Wonders of the World because we are drawn into it by its beauty and because we are able to see characteristics within ourselves. To me, this was the most compelling about Emerson’s essay. Like he says, children never lose the thrill of the natural worlds, but we do as adults. We ignore that connection we have with nature when we should be embracing it instead.

Soooooo……. who wants to go on a trip?