What is Earth Lodge? Earth Lodge is not just a living a learning program. It’s not just a class. It is a process; a process which does not yield an end result, but rather encourages the continuation of one’s self-discovery. What we have learned and experienced in Earth Lodge shows us not only the world around us, but how we fit in it. Earth Lodge has opened our minds to our natural surroundings, and has shown us how we can work throughout our lives protect them.
The inexplicable effect Earth Lodge has had on me and other Lodgers seems to be a result of discovering where we fit within the world. The acts of both living and learning in this community were the means through which we were able to finally understand our niche in the world: what responsibilities, priorities and placement we have within this universe. Earth Lodge leads us through this process by bringing us face-to-face with the land, other people, and in turn bringing us face-to-face with ourselves. This can be seen in Carolyn’s synthesis blog post, where she talks about her new sense of her niche within the world:
“The second half of the Geography of the James River Watershed course has truly helped me appreciate the gravity of the impact of place on our daily lives, relationships, and identities…my sense of place has been deepened and my perception of human connectivity is renewed.”
Through the knowledge learned in class and the relationships she experienced within the Earth Lodge community, she was able to discover how she and others fit in this world. Similarly, in my blog post, Run Along the River, I describe my newfound sense of place after having an Earth Lodge reflection spot moment: “It could be the runner’s high, but I believe it is being back in nature by the river that makes me feel so calm and in sync with the world around me.” Without the distractions of the outer world, I am able to more clearly understand my true place in the world, uncluttered by the distractions of the unnatural society.
However, this discovery of place goes far beyond self-discovery. In fact, it seems as if the effect that Earth Lodge has had on us is merely the beginning of a life-long journey. By continually studying a reflection spot or returning to the many parks Virginia has to offer, we all have grown fond of a certain place in the natural world. This bond to the land that we have discovered through Earth Lodge adventures comes the desire to protect it. In Kelly’s synthesis blog, he talks about the application of the Earth Lodge experience into real-world context:
“Once we have this knowledge and awareness of the world around us the question then becomes do we act upon it? …It seems to me as if the natural process is awareness leads to education, education will lead to action and action will lead to the betterment of the future.”
This type of continuity from present discovery of place to future action can be seen in my blog posts as well. I describe this connection in my post called, Thoughts Wandering Like the River Before Me:
“With the history and information we learned about the James River, we are able to take the initiative to improve the river and the rest of the environment with our newfound knowledge and passion. Likewise, we will use our friendship to set an example of what the next Earth Lodgers could be, and we will use our experience to help them through our own process and make it better for them.”
I was able to realize the way that Earth Lodge has not only enabled me to discover the world around me, but also will allow for me to act upon that knowledge for a long time to come.
The experience that Earth Lodge has given us this year are not merely adventures and memories; they are tools that we will be able to use throughout the rest of our lives in order to continue the journey of both self-growth and protection of the world that surrounds us. It is the connection that we have made with the Earth and the people around us through Earth Lodge that will sustain our path forward of changing the world, our lives, and the lives of others for the better. The Earth Lodge experience will act as an internal compass, a guide for what to do next. In my Topogrpahic Maps post, I explain this concept clearly: “Our trip map alone has no real meaning, no value except to empower us to experience that terrain first-hand, face the real world. It is the experience we are after, the adventure of something seemingly impossible that we must achieve in order to be able to understand ourselves.” Although the Earth Lodge experience does indeed have a meaning in itself, its true meaning lies in the potential it provides for our future. The Earth Lodge experience empowers us to embrace the real world with a perspective different from any non-lodger on this campus. With the Earth Lodge experience as a guide, we will know how to make the changes needed in order to help this world become a better place.
And with that, I leave you with this quote by Rene Daumal:
“You cannot stay on the summit forever; you have to come down again…. So why
bother in the first place? Just this: what is above knows what is below, but what is
below does not know what is above. In climbing, always take note of difficulties along
the way; for as you go up, you can observe them. Coming down, you will no longer
see them, but you will know they are there if you have observed them well.
One climbs, one sees. One descends, one sees no longer but one has seen.
There is an art of conducting oneself in the lower regions by the memory of what one
saw higher up. When one can no longer see, one can at least still know.”
–Mount Analgue, 1952