Two Worlds Apart

One of the interesting things about the Gambles Mill Trail is the juxtaposition between the two environments that border the trail. On one side is a natural area. On the opposite side of the trail is a golf course which is one of the most artificial human constructs in existence. For one, the whole concept of a lawn is unnatural. Before the area was “civilized,” grasses were untrimmed and existed only in sparse meadows. In its place were vast forests, many of which were cut down to power industrialization and clear space for humans to build things. Perhaps this is the reason why the grass on this course is always yellow and dead; it is unnatural for this environment and requires a costly maintenance plan, not to mention the species of grass is non-native and originated in Europe. The golf courses that have lush green grass consume a lot of resources and human effort to maintain whereas a forest in its natural state will sustain itself without outside intervention.
What I see in this area is nature thriving when left to its own devices on one side of a pathway, and on the other side of the path I see a golf course struggling to imitate the natural beauty that is so close, an endeavor which is destined to fail. Even life forms in the area avoid the golf course. Three cardinals hover around the dead grass but never advance beyond the border and onto the course. This is more proof that nature is bigger than any one species, no matter how and powerful it may be. It may not be as humbling as seeing the power of the oceans, or seeing the summits of vast mountains from the ground, but it is still another example of the power of nature. Seeing the failure of the golf course is one more example that helps me realize that our attempts to create order in a chaotic universe are futile.