At times I reach for a connection.
A place where
everything
comes
together.
A center point between the crossing and recrossing.
I reach even further along the connection
Until I find an intersection
A criss crossing of the things that I am passionate about
Until finally
Something begins to form
That is comprehensible.
This theme of intersections reminded me about the first synthesis posts we did for our ENVS 160 course. The central idea for those posts were roles in the environment. This means that we looked at how the environment is influenced by ethics, politics, and science to name a few. For my ENVS 160 post I chose to focus on the idea of connections between those roles. Reflecting on this now, intersections might have been a better word, or a word to also include. To connect means to join together, or create a link. To intersect on one hand means to divide, but it also means to cross or crisscross. This combination of connecting as well as crossing over is what I believe ENVS to be about.
After reading Marlene’s Intersections post, I realized that I too have been really considering my major. I find it very reassuring, as she pointed out, that everything is so interconnected that there is still a lot of chance and opportunities to explore other subjects and passions. Along with my time being divided to think about my major, I have been thinking about what the environment really means for me. I always knew it consisted of a variety of connections, criss crossing and overlapping, going close and far away from each other.
I struggle at times though to make sense of it all. If everything is so interconnected, where does it begin? How can we begin to solve environmental problems if our definitions of the environment are impacted by so many different perspectives and experiences?
All in all, this reminds me of a mural I saw at Hidden Villa that I have used as my picture above. Hidden Villa is a ranch in the Los Altos hills of California. The quote at the bottom of the mural reads; “My roots go down into the earth” and always assures me that no matter where I am, or what I am trying to do, I can connect myself to the things I believe in. Like roots, these ideas spread out intertwining deep into the ground, even reaching outwards. They are the stability for the organism they are giving nourishment too. Without this nourishment the organism could never change and grow.