Class Reflections: September 11, 2008

A point that I found particularly significant was that of the separation between the human landscape and the natural landscape. Where does the human realm begin and where does nature end, and further, why consider the two as separate from one another at all? The separation that I am referring to is both a psychological one and a physical one, where humans have become so far disconnected from nature that instead of supporting it, we have adopted this sense of ownership over it. There is no boundary or limit as to what we can conquer, we infiltrate and transform the natural landscapes in order to support our own ever-growing needs while losing sight of the interconnectedness that both human and natural systems possess. A shift in how we perceive these natural spaces is needed, while abandoning the idea of "non-human" spaces so to acknowledge them as they really are. There is so much that we can learn from the earth simply by being aware of it's presence amongst us, and if we are to even come close to touching on the notion of sustainability, we must do so collectively with the planet.