Intro to Environmental Studies 24

For this entry I’m thinking back on the fisheries documentary that we watched in class. I had always liked the idea of being a charter fisherman, I used to watch the show Deadliest Catch back when I was little, and it always intrigued me. The thrill of the catch, seeing how full the net is when it’s brought onto the boat, the risk of danger associated with the variance in weather conditions out at sea. I could always see myself doing charter fishing as a job because I always liked marine life and looking at fish whenever I caught the, it got to a point where I just wanted to catch everything so I could discover all that the waters had to offer. However, after watching the documentary my dream of being a commercial fisherman diminished, fisheries have become more privatized with the implementation of quotas for fishing boats. It’s harder to work up the food chain in the fishery business nowadays. I saw the extent of overfishing when I lived in Bahrain. Me and my best friend tried fishin...

 While I was backpacking I thought a lot about God. I thought about how the people around me claimed to be having religious experiences but I was not. I was confused as to why I was not. Was there something wrong with me? Do I think to much? Was I missing something? Maybe I was not thinking enough? I heard so many stories and I wasnt expecting to meet God or anything like that but I at least wanted to be able to have a conversation of religion with someone who was not in my class and see what they had to say. I wanted to hear a new perspective from someone I did not know. I had been backpacking alone one day and made it to the top of a mountain and was just sitting looking at the view. I was started pulling snacks out of my pack and mixing a flavor pack into my water. This man came down and sat next to me on the rock I was on and looked at me and asked me what I thought the purpose of life was. I starred at him with a blank stare. I did not have an answer. I first off was not expec...

 Throughout the book the author talks about leaving no trace while on the AT. This is something that is much easier said than done. When hearing this saying it seemed like common sense to me. "Leave no trace", well who would want to leave a trace? Once I backpacked this summer I realized very quickly that the statment leave no trace is much easier said than done. Whatever trash you are to produce you must carry until you are able to find somewhere to dispose of it. Along with that you have to try and cut down on the amount of waste you are producing overall. The more things you carry in our pack, the more weight you need to carry on your hikes. The few differences in weight makes a huge difference when backpacking. When I was on the AT there was one day where my pack weighed way to much. Both my friend and I had overpacked and it made the hike that day feel miserable. Once we met back up with the van we got rid of a lot of things that ew did not need, I got rid of an extra ja...

 I have been reading an environmental ethics book by Gregory Bassham that covers central issues within the book. One chapter that really stood out to me was chapter 11 - wilderness preservation. The book goes on to show the positives and negatives in this case. The chapter talks about the anthropocentric view where it believes that the killing of an animal life is justified if it is to better the life of a human. The book also shares the other view of this claiming that it would not be jusitifed to kill an animal to benefit human life, this can be a biocentric view. The book talks about biocentrism and how that belief follows the guidelines in which everything holds the same value. So, us as humans would hold the same value as a cow. So the killing of a cow would not be justified to better humans since the cow life and human life would hold equal value. I personally disagree with this view. I do not believe that all life on earth is equal of values. I do not believe that a cow life...

 This chapter discusses how the act of walking on the Appalachian Trail can be a spiritual process to help connect with oneself. When i first read this I explored the idea of going on a long distance hike. I thought it would be interesting to see how I, a person who does not enjoy physical activity, reacts to a long distance hike. I am now challenging myself to go on a few hikes once it starts to warm up. I think it'll be interesting to see how i react and if I'm able to connect. The main idea of this chapter is that long distance walking is extremely beneficial to spiritual healing. Spiritual healing also doesn't necessarily have to align with religion. Many people do not align with religious teachings, so it could be more of like a nature connection. Many people have found spiritual meaning while walking on the Appalachian Trail, because once you put yourself wholly into an action you fully connect with it. It helps disconnect you from the world and think about things tha...

 In chapter five of the American Camino by Kip Redick the author talks about pilgrimages, and how they can be a religious journey for one. The author talks about how through walking one can learn more about themseleves, the world around them, and feel some holy presence. Hearing this I orignially did not think much of these statements. I was confused as to how walking can make someone learn more about themselves and feel a sense of religious presence. We walk everyday as humans so I was confused how walking even more on a path would allow for a sense of self growth and discovery. While I was backpacking this summer I found these statements to be presented true. I found that I did learn more about myself and the world around me. I learned that it is okay to be bored and that you need to be bored from time to time because it allows you time to think. And when one is thinking they can be learning, and for me during this I was learning more about myself. I learned that I value time alo...

 This section of the American Camino talks about environment and space. One part of this section that i thought was interesting was the part that talks about how we use our senses to process out surroundings. We are then able to process the information and make decisions. Think of it like this. You see a bear walking in from of you while hiking in the woods. Your eyes see the bear walking, send the information to your brain, then your brain makes a decision on what to do in that situation. It's pretty interesting. Plus that can happen with any sense. the chapter then discusses space and how it might feel like an empty space, but if you take the time to notice your surroundings, you can pick on subtle aspects. You can hear birds chirping, leaves rustling, a slight breeze, etc. This is really important when out in the woods, like walking on the Appalachian Trail. They call them survival skills. By taking in information that other people might not notice, you can connect with the envi...