Rose Dickson
8 September 2008
1700 – 1723 hours
Facing the millstream, with my back about 30 yards from The Bistro on Willamette University campus, Salem, OR, USA
87 degrees, clear skies
Am I ecologically indifferent? Am I ignorant to the beauty and service in which nature bestows upon us? As I sit by the millstream to relax I take the opportunity, not only observe my fellow classmates that gather and pass, but to take note of what is surrounding us. What species of tree is that one? The one which I take shade under nearly everyday to read philosophy. And that one? The one where, right now, my classmates are relaxing and playing a game of cards; using the tree trunk for support. As I sit a little longer, I wonder how long have these trees have been here? How long they have been serving students, like myself, that wistfully take them for granted? My philosophical tree, a Redwood (Sequoia sempervirens), giving all who greet it a sense of stability and a place for contemplation. The Black Cottonwood, (Populus tremuloides) providing students with comfort and an easy place to unwind. To learn about nature is more than to use it. To learn about nature is to see it, observe it and explore it. Be in it.
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