Good Life Nature Activity Matthew Schwarz Spark Story

Nature on Display

Me posing at the megalodon exhibit

My favorite exhibit at the museum was the deep sea creature exhibit, especially the zone that involved ancient sea creatures like the megalodon. I enjoyed the design of the exhibit because of the dark blue walls. The dark blue scenery made me feel like I was underwater with these creatures which made the experience a lot more empowered. I enjoyed this section the most because I grew up in Melbourne Florida, a small beach town, and have been surrounded by sea creatures such as fish and sharks my whole life. However, even though I felt like a fish expert this exhibit blew my mind with the facts that they had about ancient sea creatures. The megalodon was my personal favorite because they expressed the sheer size and strength of the creature just by showing how big its mouth was. My first moment seeing this made my jaw drop. I could have never comprehended the size of this animal through a textbook or any form of picture, seeing it in real time really made an impact on me. All in all, what I truly enjoyed about the museum was discovering the history of Earth with my friends. It was beyond interesting to see how rich the Earth's truly is.

Nature and Ethics

A Swallowtail butterfly in the exhibit

The Natural History Museum did allow me to experience nature in ways that Leopold recommended. I felt really in tune with nature when I was surrounded by the giant trees and beautiful rivers. In a world that is constantly covered with cement and buildings I forget how beautiful nature really is. The beautiful scenery not only effected me, but grandma's, little kids, and people of all ages. It was one of the most unifying moments I have ever had. Just standing in wonder of the beautiful untouched butterflies with people I have never met was beyond fun, as we helped each other point each kind of butterfly and seeking them out as they flew above us. I actually sensed a great deal of peace, and fun just being in the exhibit and the museum as a whole. After the visit I did feel an ethical responsibility to be more aware about nature, and to be careful about polluting and wasting basic resources like water, so we can help keep this great planet healthy and alive.

Nature and Human Spirit

Me and the ancient sea cow

In my hometown of Melbourne Florida one of the most common sights to see is the manatee in the local rivers. I had no idea that these animals have been around for THOUSANDS of years. When I saw this exhibit I was amazed with how old these creatures were. That meant that means hundreds of generations of people in Melbourne, and across the globe have shared the common goofy sight of these huge river creatures. For some odd reason that brings me a strange comfort. In this day and age when we focus on all of our differences, it is calming to know that at least we can at least share one common, fun memory of seeing these huge manatees swim across the river. I hope everyone can at least have this same bonding moment in this big conflicting mystery of a world we live in. Maybe, if we all took some time to just sit back and enjoy nature and the beautiful creatures that inhabit it the world could actually be a much a better place as a whole.

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