Sabrina Ho--humans moving backward

     In our class discussion from one of the sections in The Ecology of Eden, we questioned where humans stand in nature, and if were possible to share our space. As we have seen throughout the class, more "true wilderness" is being replaced by urbanized cities, or an idealized version of nature. Humans are becoming less and less connected to true nature. However, Eisenberg argues that human nature stems from this relationship and interconnectedness with nature. Thus, in a sense, as we move farther aware from true wilderness, we are also moving aware from human nature. This is even more severe when taking into consideration Eisenberg's notion that humans are the direct cause of this destruction. In this perspective, we are the ones causing us to move farther aware from human nature.

    One of the questions that came up in class was whether it was too late for humans to recreate that connection with true wilderness, and to bring ourselves back to our nature. Looking from the general American perspective, I certainly had my initial doubts--it is almost too easy for us to immerse ourselves in work, technology, and convenience that we lose interest in that boundless true wilderness. However, I know that there are small communities around the world that have stepped away from this urbanization, to live fully in nature. Of course, this is a small portion of the world's population. But the fact that there still exists people who have been able to avoid the backwards movement that the rest of the population has moved towards, indicates to me that, evolutionarily, we have not completely lost that ability to reconnect with nature.