I didn\u2019t get far
\ndown the Gambles Mill Trail when we were traversing there during our Geography
\nclass last Thursday. Once I made it past the initial area that appears to be
\n\u201cThe Road Less Traveled By\u201d from Frost\u2019s poem, I stumbled across something I
\nhad been wondering about for almost a year, The University of Richmond\u2019s
\nCommunity Garden. Naturally I was rather pleased at spontaneously finding such
\na treasure and immediately my thoughts turned to all the delicious
\npossibilities that were now open to me and the rest of the world because of
\nthis discovery. A community garden, being a garden for the community, promotes
\nfriendship and general neighborliness between members of a community by
\nproviding them with a common activity, gardening. This idea is common all over
\nthe world from the suburbs of Richmond to rural Nigeria to urban Boston. Food,
\nflowers, and friends all being things that I love, naturally this sits high in
\nmy admiration.<\/p>\n
But
\nI realize now, as I did in the moment, that the benefits of said Community
\nGarden were not meant to be the sole focus of Earth Lodge\u2019s journey into the
\nwilderness between our facilities center and the golf course belonging to the
\nCountry Club of Richmond.<\/p>\n
After exploring the garden for a I didn\u2019t get far down the Gambles Mill Trail when we were traversing there during our Geography class last Thursday. Once I made it past the initial area that appears to be \u201cThe Road Less Traveled By\u201d from Frost\u2019s poem, … Continue reading
\nbit I sat down in the path to take in the contrast around me. I had behind me
\nan expansive field of golden grass kept in (almost)perfect condition so that
\npeople in Richmond could come and play golf. To my right was another stretch of
\ngrass, this time brilliantly green, that is meant to be torn up so people in
\nthe Richmond community can sew new seeds where old seeds once were. On my left
\nwere two huge mounds of mulch, which have a specific reason for being there, I
\njust don\u2019t know what that is yet. But everywhere else, surrounding the path, pushing
\nthrough cracks and over fences, was nature undisturbed serving as a natural
\nboundary between the different purposes of man. We use nature for what we want,
\nit is an obstruction, it needs to be tamed, it needs to be controlled and
\nmanipulated. Even when this \u201cwilderness\u201d becomes a destination, an escape, or
\nan object of worship we are still using it for what we want, forgetting that
\nwilderness cannot be completely controlled. I am reminded of how the characters
\nin The Lion, The Witch, and The
\nWardrobe<\/span><\/em>describe Aslan as being neither safe nor tame, but
\nbeing good. Chris McCandless may or may not have understood that nature is
\nneither safe nor tame, but I do think he understood that it was good, and I do
\nthink it is important for everyone to understand these things.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"