A Little Bird Told Me

I was just outside smoking on the concrete benches near where they are constructing "Madonna Meadow." Among hearing other smokers socializing and students hurrying to class, I looked out by the giant cage-like tree sculpture being built and noticed two birds. Ordinarily I don't think this would have struck a cord in me, so to speak. But knowing that I'm behind on my blogs, and all the chaos surrounding the closing of the semester, that I have Environmental Aesthetics class later,  I saw these little birds perched on one of the branches of the sculpture and for a second the stress tornado in my mind had ceased.

Nature no doubt does bring a sense of relaxation. And throughout the semester we've talked about a million reasons this could be, and a thousand theories that you can spin off of the effects of nature. A lot of what we've read about is critiquing the right way to view nature, and how humans effect the "goodness" of nature. But when I saw those little birds, just happy as can be sitting on the sculpture that we- humans- created from nature- trees, I couldn't help but think, "well they don't think its too bad do they."

We've listened to a lot of different opinions on how we humans effect nature. And I do agree that sometimes what we do to nature could be considered hostile or violating (I mean think about it, we transplant cow crap to construct our own perfect critiques of nature called "gardens", we move poop rather than let something happen naturally, how absurd!) however I don't think this is the case all the time. When I look at the cage-tree-enterance structure for Madonna Meadow, I don't feel like anything has been violated. I feel like it is paying homage to the beauty of nature. Not in a picturesque manner that you would have to frame, or in a poem that requires extensive comprehension of subject or concept, not even a critique.

A while ago there was a whole petition to get sculpture on Thomas More's campus. Some people didn't think it should be there at all, but others (a lot of the art geeks I'll admit) felt that it was vital to have sculpture, that it was aesthetically valuable to have in a college environment.

This all correlates, I promise.

After just this one piece of sculpture being constructed on our campus, I feel the decision was completely necessary. I can also gather after being in the presence of the sculpture, the beginning of what is to be a park, while in the midst of everyday social chaos that in the words of Samuel Jackson "I had what some alcoholics refer to as a moment of clarity" I was experiencing nature, effected by humans, constructed in art, and I was appreciating nature, and like we've been reading in Bugbee, I didn't want to change it. I didn't want to understand the meaning of this sculpture by fitting into a previously created schema, I just sat, let it effect me, and listened. There was a moment when I was able to detach myself from my social agendas and buzzing surroundings and just rest, and appreciate those little birds.

We've discussed quite a plethora of ways to properly appreciate nature.
And damnit, I think I've just done it.