Running as it relates The Ecology of Eden’s “Earth Jazz"

  

A blog on an assigned class reading 

 

In class we discussed running as it relates to religion and ecology. This discussion followed themes from “Earth Jazz,” part four of The Ecology of Eden. Evident among the discussion was the preference from running on trails over running in neighborhoods or along streets. Why is this? Is it because we are closer to “nature”? Is the scenery less boring? Is there  a spiritual or  ecological connection?

 

My runs along Virginia 529, “the parkway”, are plenty interesting, between the neighbors , dogs, bicyclists, and various cars its plenty interesting. For me personally the woods feel better for a couple reasons. I am happiest around the extra- human. I feel safer in the woods running with the trees than I do running with people. The trees don’t catcall me every 2 miles, they don’t forget to yield to pedestrians. To me nature is a haven from humans. 

 

Although the woods do have their own hum of activity. In the book Ecology of Eden, Evan Eisenberg’s refers to this hum of activity as earth jazz. As I run I look in awe at the way the extra-humans interact around me. I get so happy watching a fawn nurse from her mom in the early morning hours as the rabbit hops in a field nearby. I feel bad disrupting their peace but once in a while I felt apart of them, connected somehow .When the mama deer doesn’t run off or when juvenile deer follows me for 2 miles while I talk to it telling him I'm not his mom and I don't have food. In these moments of trail running, I feel a part of the life around me. I feel the earth jazz. In these moments of ecological connection, I feel at peace, in harmony with  extra-humans. A part of harmonizing complementary rhythms of life that fit together like a jazz song.