Nature on Display
The South Florida People and Environments exhibit was the most fascinating exhibit in the entire museum. The exhibit was organized to show the numerous different environments of South Florida, and the various people who lived in these environments. I am from South Florida, so I was immediately intrigued when I saw that this exhibit showed the different people and environments of South Florida. During my many years of schooling, I have learned a lot about the different environments in South Florida. I have even visited some of the places on display such as the Everglades. This made learning about it an even more enjoyable experience. By observing exhibits that portrayed real life representations of the different people and environments of South Florida, I was able too fully understand what these environments actually look like. If another medium had been used such as pictures, my understanding of these environments wouldn't have been as in depth. By using real life models of these exhibits, I was able to see all the major and minor details that these places consist of. Thus, my experience at this museum was very enjoyable for many reasons. Aside from the South Florida exhibit, numerous other exhibits including the Biodiversity Gallery and Butterfly Rainforest caught my attention. I loved navigating through these many exhibits and learning about the different nature and environments. I believe that nature is beautiful, and this museum did a fantastic job both portraying and teaching about nature.
Nature and Ethics
Each exhibit at the museum creates a strong tie between nature and ethics. As a whole, the museum allows you to see nature for what it truly is and connects visitors to the nature on display. The museum displays many different parts of nature and its history, and shows different species throughout different time periods. For instance, the Butterfly Rainforest creates a great connection with nature by allowing direct interaction between you and the many butterflies. Before entering the exhibit, the rules of the exhibit are thoroughly explained in order to ensure the safety of the animals. This promotes an ethically responsible display of nature. While walking through the garden, butterflies fly all around you and portray the beauty of these animals and their environment. I felt a sense of admiration for these pretty creatures as they flew by me, and it appeared as though other people viewing the exhibit felt the same way. By having face to face interactions with these animals, my ethical responsibility to conserve these animals and their habitat was heightened. I was able to experience nature in ways the Leopald recommends, and did so in an ethically responsible way. Moreover, the Hall of Florida Fossils Exhibit invoked great appreciation and admiration for the fossils on display. For example, by viewing the fossils of massive sharks, my appreciation for how big these animals are was increased. Going face to face with the teeth of these sharks helped me realize that animals are no less powerful than humans, and that we are all members of the same "biotic community" as Leopald imagines. Both the Butterfly and Florida Fossils exhibit created a connection between humans and all other species shown. This connection was created in an ethically responsible way which allowed me to "love, respect, and admire" nature.
Nature and the Human Spirit
All the exhibits in the museum helped provide a connection between nature and the human spirit. The Biodiversity exhibit, for example, provided a thrilling experience that showed the evolution of nature throughout time. This helped me realize how nature has changed from time period to time period, which allowed me to better appreciate the mystery and majesty of the natural world. Furthermore, the South Florida section created very strong ties between nature and the human spirit because I am from South Florida. This exhibit allowed me to understand the many different environments in South Florida, and made me step out of my ordinary life and realize the varying lives of other people who lived near where I lived in the decades and centuries before me. South Florida used to be totally different than it is today, and by viewing this exhibit I realized how different my life could have been if the conditions of the past were the conditions of today in South Florida. Visiting this exhibit created a lot of mystery and thoughts in my head, and after navigating this exhibit I wondered what the environment in South Florida would look like hundreds of years from now. This exhibit, as well as many others, connected nature to my human spirit and allowed me to appreciate nature much more. I was able to step out of my shadow of ordinary life, and better understand the evolution of nature throughout history.