I remember a conversation with my young daughter. She asked, “Daddy, why are bears mean?” She was reacting to something she saw on TV where a large bear was standing, teeth snarling, and ready to attack the people who innocently found themselves in a direct confrontation with nature. I had to take a moment to think. How would I explain to a young soul the essence of evil in the world?
“Bears aren’t mean. They only act that way if they think people are gong to hurt them, or their babies.” I don’t know if it stuck with her but the thought stayed with me. Whenever I have the opportunity to talk about thru-hiking the AT or the JMT, or being a 900 miler in the Smokies, inevitably, the question comes, “aren’t you afraid of_________________ ( fill in the blank: bears, snakes, lightning, rain, ticks, mountain lions)? Then there is the ultimate question, “Do you carry a gun?”
Our culture has convinced us that evil lurks in the wilderness and if one should choose to enter, they should do so with trepidation and profound fear; making sure to carry along means of self-protection. I remember returning from the Jump Off, descending the AT toward Newfound Gap and confronting a steady stream of day hikers headed up toward Mt. LeConte. I turned a bend in the trail and found myself face to face with a large man, very fit and muscular, sporting a scarf like those worn in the middle east desert and a cowboy hat. The other distinguishing feature of the person was the large western style revolver protruding from a leather holster on his right hip. Although there is no unsanctioned hunting in the Great Smoky Mountain National Park, the National Park Service had recently changed its policy to allow firearms. Yet, I was still a bit taken aback. What perceptions make necessary the provision of a large caliber hand cannon in a national park? More to the point, this person was of a size and demeanor that any bear… or human being (including Clint Eastwood)… would take one look and conclude that it would be pointless to enter into any kind of physical exchange.
True wilderness is perfect
True wilderness is perfect. It operates according to natural laws and processes that were put in place at the advent of creation. These laws evolve along with the planet, adjusting to large scale events that modify the ecosystem, but their mission always remains the same; to keep balance in the natural order. Certain animals and plants evolve to survive at high altitudes and harsh environments. Life moves naturally toward places where survival is less threatened and behaviors develop to optimize the potential for survival and propagation. Occasionally, so called “disasters” occur that suddenly change this balance like fire, dramatic weather, or on a broad global scale, changes in climate. And when these events occur, nature responds accordingly in a way that finds new balance. Animals migrate. The forest grows back. The coastline rebuilds itself and resources are replenished. To use words like natural disaster, recovery, damage, decimation to describe the natural order seems superfluous. They are words humans use to describe how these events impact one species. Avalanches happen as a result of gravity, temperature, weight, and friction; all properties grounded in the laws of thermodynamics. Tornadoes happen when warm and cool air meet under precise conditions. Predators kill to survive and to protect their young. It is all connected and it acts within its character. There is nothing selfish about it. It is a reality that is free of moral judgement, expectations, greed, and…. inhumanity.
There is no evil in the wilderness.
I think that is perhaps a strong reason for the feeling I get when I set foot on a trailhead or spend the afternoon gazing across a valley or swimming in an alpine lake. It is a sense of relief, of welcome and of coming home. It is a feeling of belonging and connection to something from which I have been away for too long. Could it be that when we enter the wilderness, we allow ourselves to be more human? Maybe that’s because we set aside for a while, the need to compete and we are released from the stresses we create in order to live our modern lives. We have a connection to others who are there for many of the same reasons and there is a feeling of kinship with flora and fauna alike.
Is it possible that humanity cannot be fully experienced without this connection to creation? John Muir, when observing animals in the wild, remarked that there was more humanity among them than in cities full of human beings. He related to the big trees that witnessed the passing of thousands of years as brothers. I believe that entering the wilderness causes us to leave behind the things that incite our own inhumanity. Of course there are times when we bring those things with us in the form of garbage, poaching, and worse. But I have to say that in my experience, there is much less exposure to inhumanity in the wilderness than in places where we have laws to protect us from ourselves. The only time there is evil in the wilderness is when human beings bring it with them. But evil in itself is not a product of Creation and is therefore a foreign concept.
As human beings, we tend to impose our traits on the world around us and on our perceptions of who we think of as God. I wonder what would would happen if we let Creation impose its traits on us?
Be well, do good, walk humbly…
Copyright 2019 Shawn A. Carson
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