Nature on Display

I found this particular part of the museum appealing to me because of how interested I am in saving the environment for the betterment of society. This mainly caught my attention with the different blues and greens sticking out. I walked over curious to see what people had written to improve our water efficiency. Many people suggested that taking shorter showers and turning water off when not needed were the best solutions. Others came up with elaborate plans to conserve water and use it for other purposes. From this, I learned that climate change affects more than just weather, but also how we use our water and how clean it really is. With flooding and mistreatment, our water system could affect millions of people across the world. Groundwater is also the main supplier for agriculture, industry, mining, and electricity. The importance of saving water goes beyond just drinking it, and taking the time to go through this was really eye opening, especially for someone who is already passionate about the environment already.

Nature & Ethics

The museum truly showed me what it was like to be immersed in nature. I felt the beauty and freedom that the butterflies possessed, and in a way I was connected to their movements. I was trying to be gentle when one landed on my hand, but as I moved slightly, it fluttered away. This made me so much more cautious around these creatures because I was reminded how fragile they really are. I thought about how these butterflies had such a short life span, but yet they had nothing holding them back from flying from branch to branch without worry. I thought about how effortless they must feel when they swoop down onto a study leaf to rest their powerful wings. The people around me were in awe like I was, and one little boy in particular was quite fond of the black butterfly with yellow stripes. He started chasing it until it disappeared behind the branches. He stood there for a moment, and then found a new butterfly to trail behind. I could see his fascination in the fact that these little insects had the ability to withhold such grace. This entire experience taught me the idea that Leopold held true. We are to love, respect, and admire this nature instead of dominate and control it.

Nature & the Human Spirit

Fossils and other remnants left behind from past creatures are a spectacle to me. The mystery of what we know and what we have yet to learn stands out as a majesty to our past. When I saw the artifacts and models of paleontology left behind in the museum, my heart stopped. I couldn't believe the varying bone sizes and materials. We tend to forget that before humans, there was thousands of years of historical creatures that roamed the Earth as we know it. This helps me step out of ordinary life. I feel like we all assimilate each other into groups and what not, but we never really appreciate the differences we all have. I think this also ties back to our roots of passing genes down and improving the genetic code. Thinking back to difficult times like these without technology, sources of food, or basic civilization, I feel the mystery that is still being written as they find more artifacts. We truly have no idea what kind of inventions these creatures made to better their life, and I think that is unappreciated in today's society because we wouldn't have the modern day printing press, computer, or iPhone without the skills and inventions made long ago. These little things all add up to the grand scheme of life, and appreciating that just makes it all the worth while. Their pieces left behind give us the very tip of the roots of an unknown history. Their spirits and their memories are left for us to cherish and appreciate.