Analyzing an Experience Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Analyzing an Experience - Essay Example This is what initiates the pathway towards the transformation. The second stage, the Threshold, is when one tests his or her limit to break away from the boundaries into a newly formed threshold, just as Halifax discovered the grief after her mother’s tragic death. It is when the concealed truth is disclosed and â€Å"the gate to the unconscious† is re-opened (Halifax, 17). Finally the third stage, the Return, is when the individual realizes the deeper truth that had been hidden from him or her as a husk covers the core (Halifax, 16). The whole cycle leads an individual to the path of spiritual understanding which Halifax describes as a successful initiation experience where â€Å"the husk of alienation† is conquered (178). In his essay â€Å"Once More to the Lake†, the author E. B. White has explored the state of mind and the power of mental retention of experiences. As White recollects the memories of a visit he made with his son to a camp near a lake, h e points out its resemblance to the visit he made with his own father in 1904 (1). What is more important is his understanding of trivial details regarding the scenic environment and the natural context. White has looked upon the temporal development of a human being as it is captured in our minds as memories. As such, White’s experiences of his visits are aligned with the three stages of initiation experience which Halifax describes as separation, transition, and incorporation, namely Severance, Threshold, and the Return (15). Halifax explains that the pathway towards Threshold experience allows an individual to transcend the borders to move on from the realm of society to one which has unobstructed space (Halfax, 108). As such, White chooses to return to the natural setting of Maine to recollect memories of his childhood in an attempt to seek isolation from the social realm and realize the limits of life yet the longevity of time that brings him closer to nature. Therefore,

David Suzuki, The Big Picture- the enviormentalist dilemma Essay

David Suzuki, The Big Picture- the enviormentalist dilemma - Essay Example He talks of the different aspects of this problem and the possible defense mechanisms that the planet may have in order to combat the encroachments of technology. For Suzuki, it is also important that one understands the importance of mankind’s position on the planet. The fact that man is one of the many species that exist on this planet is significant for Suzuki. There are several new theories that Suzuki puts forth including the idea that it is necessary for the ecological to be quantified in the economic sense of the term. This would then put a certain amount of pressure on people to create a world where the ecology is valued in terms that are familiar to the current market economy. This then makes us aware of the importance of creating a world where the ecology is not a dispensable commodity but something that provides us with an understanding of man’s relation to his environment and other creatures who have equal rights over the resources of the earth. Suzukiâ€⠄¢s main argument is that the ecology needs to be given his due and integrated with the scientific endeavors of man and in the economic framework of the world, without which there would be no sustainable growth in the world in any sector. One of the main arguments that Suzuki makes throughout his career is that mankind needs to come to terms with the fact that it exists on the earth and would not be able to survive without the earth being a place that can sustain them. The disconnect that man reveals when it comes to the earth can be seen from the fact that dirt is always regarded as something that is undesirable. However, this dislike for dirt is oblivious to the fact that whatever grows on the earth takes root in dirt and can be seen to draw its nourishment from the very dirt that is regarded with such contempt by man (Mast). This then reveals an attempt on the part of Suzuki to look at the tiny things in one’s life that indicate the attitudes that one holds towards the env ironment. Such attitudes then create a situation where the ecology is undervalued and not given its proper due. Its life-sustaining quality is then obfuscated and not given due importance. Despite man’s advancement in terms of science and technology, there is still a lot that needs to be done in terms of the conservation of the environment. The conservation of the ecology is a must for the sustained development since the resources necessary for development ultimately comes from the environment itself. This can be seen from this statement that is made by Suzuki in The Big Picture- †¦all of these things that so dominate our headlines and our lives- all of these things are merely social constructs created by humans. Ultimately they still depend on something else: the continued existence of a stable and healthy planet to provide us with the basics of life. Without a healthy planet to cleanse our wastes and provide us with resources, we will wither. Unless we can find a way t o live in balance with the natural systems that sustain us, our species will ultimately reach a dead end (3). The ideas that are expressed in this passage are important as they do not suggest that development of the kind that is fuelled by technological advances is insignificant. What it does suggest, however, is that there needs to be an awareness of the environmental impact that certain programs of development have. According to Suzuki, one must not devalue science and its effects on mankind. However, one must