Lindsey Johnson Chapter 2 Aesthetic Tourism Reflection

 In Chapter 2 of American Camino, Redick discusses the difference between aesthetic tourism and a spiritual journey. Aesthetic tourism is when a person decides to go on a hike in nature with the intentions of viewing beautiful, or aesthetically pleasing, scenery rather than fully taking in their surroundings and reflecting while they are hiking. When a person partakes in aesthetic tourism, they are not getting anything out of their hike because they are only concerned with the surface instead of the deeper feelings and emotions they could feel if they take a moment to understand the complexity and interconnectedness of the nature they are within. Redick emphasizes the importance of a spiritual journey because it allows for self-discovery due to the challenges, both mental and physical, that the hiker may face on their hike. It leads to personal growth. Before reading this chapter, I never really thought about how there were different ways you could go about doing a hike. This really opened my eyes to the fact that so many people visit beautiful places, such as national parks, and only focus on the pictures that they need to take and the social media posts that they can make out of it later on. It surprises me that people can be within nature and only see it from a surface level instead of taking it in for what it truly is. This can be applied to not just hikes. Many people forget to take in every moment of their day and are often consumed by technology and social media. In my opinion, this is not truly living.

In the chapter, Redick talks about his encounter with a deer and how it represents his need to slow down and appreciate his connection to the environment. He mentions how at first he wants to pass the deer, but then he realizes, "But this was her place, not mine, and I respected her hospitality" (73). He felt that this experience gave him a connection to the deer, which in essence allowed him to connect to the environment itself, allowing him to understand his place in nature and within the world. The fact that the deer did not run away in fear shows that it may have recognized that Redick was there to appreciate his surroundings and not hurt or destroy them. The deer might have sensed that within Redick and by staying instead of running, it was communicating that to him. I find it amazing that there is this unspoken communication that humans have between ourselves and the environment. When we spend more time in nature, we become more in tune with that communication and then start to discover more about ourselves. 

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