Nature on Display
Within ten minutes of being at FMNH, I was already immersed in the Native American tribes that resided in Northwest Florida. The lives of the Apalachee and Calusa people were magnificently put to life; the above photo observed a commercial transaction between the queen leader of a Floridian tribe observing the commodities brought by a merchant from a tribe from present-day Georgia. I found this design so appealing because not only did this exhibit teach you about the climate, marine biology, and physical geography of the region but it also taught us about those who were able to inhabit the land. Just from this single display, one can observe the social and economic culture of the Calusa and Apalachee tribes. As cliche as it sounds, I felt like I was really there, observing this in real time. That's what was so enjoyable about this experience, unlike a movie, I was able to learn substantially all the while being enshrouded in the Native American life style.
Nature and Ethics
The butterfly room is something that I had not experienced for a pretty long time. As soon as I entered, the ethereal atmosphere of the screen-domed garden was almost palpable. Birds were cheerfully flying while butterflies peppered the sky and walls. Although it did not particularly smell like anything, I knew that what I was breathing was pure. This experience reinforced the staggering importance of safeguarding nature, because humans alone can not replicate its beauty, nor its sheer purity. A world without such a safe haven will hinder the human experience. I know this because everyone within this garden was completely enshrouded in this exact experience as well. No one was on their phones, no one was distant. I was able to observe groups of college students completely mesmerized by the garden, emitting an aura of placidity and welcome. I do not think this utter peace can survive without our intimate connection with nature. Nature is not human, but it is the child of the same planet that we call home. We can not lose that.
Nature and the human spirit
It was no doubt; by the time I had stepped out of the museum, my mind was still reeling from its travel back in to Florida's most primitive time periods. I looked at the parking garage across the street and I looked at Southwest Recreation center, and immediately I imagined it completely flooded underwater filled with mystic, ancient, colossal sea creatures fighting to survive in a surreal time of Earth's existence. I looked at the blue sky and felt the nearly foreign instrument in my pocket-- my cellphone. It must have been insane to live in on an Earth that was nothing like it is today, but even so, the present is within itself a majestic time to be alive. Eons in the future, when all of our family names and intimate memories are dust, I am beyond sure that someone or something will be able to appreciate the world that I-- that we-- currently experience today.