The Destruction of Nature

One day, a dance and political hip-hop dance troupe calling themselves “Culture Shock” came to my school. The troupe came dressed in grey baggy pants that made noises when they walked and shirts with their group’s logo on the front. The music started. The dancers cut through the floor with their powerful dance moves. Their pants made slashing noises as they danced. Slash. Slash. Slash. After the dance was over, the leader of the group and the only white person on stage made an announcement. “Christopher Columbus Day will no longer be observed, today is now known as Indigenous People Day.”

“Nature” is what isn’t listed. It’s what hasn’t been formed and given a name for. How do loggers justify cutting down trees to make a living? Perhaps they tell themselves, “It’s still the same area, just trimmed.” But it’s not. When forests become farms they quit being nature, nature became domesticated into farms. The land is still there, but it no longer grows passionately. Its flowers have been cut to feed a growing population.