Nature on Display
The museum as whole was excellently designed and constructed. By far, the best exhibit would have to be the ones surrounding the Native Americans who lived in Florida before they were viciously eradicated by white people. Here, the Native Americans are depicted in a way that they normally are not, as human. The Native Americans in the exhibit are not depicted as savages or vicious people that American history textbooks like to portray them. Instead, the Native Americans are depicted as people will their own culture and lifestyle. It is not inherently wrong or deviant, but it is simply their own. Americans have done an excellent job at demonizing and dehumanizing the Native Americans and this exhibit allows them to have their humanity returned to them. Here, I was able to learn that there is a very real possibility of living with nature, like the Native Americans did, instead of conquering it the way Westerners like to do.
Nature and Ethics
The Museum of Natural History is very interactive. One interactive portions in the museum is the butterfly garden. In the garden, you are immersed in a rainforest like exhibit where butterflies are able to thrive and fish are in the water wading. A eerily calming place, the butterfly garden has an ambiance that can appeal to everyone. I believe that the butterfly garden can have a serious impact on people and complete he goal that Leopold suggests. Deforestation and the destruction of the rainforest is a ver real, prevalent issue that is plaguing the world. If people were able to immerse themselves in the landscape and were able to understand the beauty and life that is being lost as a result of deforestation, maybe more of an effort could be taken to stop it. The butterfly garden could act as a medium for this knowledge as people are able to connect with major in a very direct way.
Nature and the Human Spirit
The museum helps us step out of our ordinary lives by taking us back into history. i, for one, did not know much about the Native Americans that lived in Florida. This museum provides a solid foundation of the people who lived on this land before us without any biases or preconceived knowledge. This is a great medium for consuming knowledge for people who are unable to conceptualize certain things and needs visuals and interactions to learn like the museum provided. This museum also allows people to take a moment and become introspective. People can now take a moment and see their position in the universe and small they are in the grand scheme of things. Simultaneously, the museum also shows the impact that one individual can have on the world and knowing that you have the ability to influence the world, whether good or bad, is impactful and will hopefully help us have a better appreciation of the natural world.