Blog#3

I think Emerson and Thoreau are interesting. I particularly liked Emerson. I agree that nature is the part of the world that is not shaped by us humans. It is better for a person to be in a natural environment rather than an artificial one. I used to go on nature walks with my family all of the time. We would go on trails at local parks that went deep into the woods. I always enjoyed being in the woods looking at nature. Seeing deer run by while the birds were chirping always gave me a sense of tranquility. I can see beauty in any natural environment. Similar to how Thoreau can see beauty in something like a dismal swamp. I have not been on any of those walks in quite some time and I feel like I have lost touch with nature. I am often around buildings and cars (most people are). All of these things were created by us humans. This is the artificial environment that Emerson is talking about. I feel that we keep building things that we are invading on the natural environment. I think it is a shame that the natural environment is shrinking daily. Also, I thought it was interesting reading about positive aesthetics. I liked the idea but it was kind of weird when he talked about death. I guess I could see where he was going though.