Connie and Tweeters-

I join in expressing my appreciation for your writings, Connie. I love
reading them as I share so many of your inward feelings.

My home is in Rapid City, SD, but I've subscribed to Tweeters for nearly a
year and love the comments and information. I would like to add that I
believe a great deal of our connection to nature is gentic but,
unfortunately, that is becoming diluted as we are removed further from
nature. An example is a friend who drove from Chicago and was petrified
upon arriving in South Dakota at night. The open sky and brilliant stars,
with nothing between him and the black canvas above, absolutely terrified
him. As Executive Director of the Girl Scout Council here, I hear numerous
stories about girls in metropolitan areas who are extremely fearful when
they go into the outdoors. Bugs, rodents, "things" in the water, and other
critters and creatures become a threat to them. Perhaps we have so
controlled our environment with our mowed lawns that we no longer feel
connected to the rest of the world and those who share this atmosphere with
us. What a loss to the human race if we can't find our own *fill* to sit in
and calmly, quietly become a part of that world. As the Lakota believe, we
are all one and, for our own success as humans, need to find the harmony and
solace in nature. Instead of seeing ourselves as separate, we must remember
we are part of the pie.

Thanks again for sharing the Fill! My mind wanders to wonderful places when
I read your descriptions.

Pat Quyle
paq at rushmore.com



----- Original Message -----
From: "Connie Sidles" <csidles at isomedia.com>
To: "William Applegate" <applgate at whidbey.net>
Cc: <tweeters at u.washington.edu>
Sent: Monday, September 08, 2003 8:37 AM
Subject: Re: Fill findings


> Dear Bill, Thanks for your kindness. Your timing is excellent: I needed a
> good word today as I adjust to my oldest son going off to the Marines this
> morning, and it's raining so no Fill for me and no comfort. (I always go
to
> the Fill when I'm feeling out of sorts, and there I find peace of mind.)
>
> I've been struggling to articulate to myself the role that nature plays in
> the lives of humans. I took a UW class one time about wilderness, and I
> still remember what the professor said about how humans interact with the
> wild. He believed that our concept of wilderness is a totally human
> construct that we can control. Our concept can change over time. It can
vary
> among different groups. For example, believers in the bible conceive of
the
> wilderness as our human dominion, something that God gave to us to rule
> over. Pioneers conceived of the wilderness as a dark enemy, or at least an
> opponent, something to be brought under control. I saw this in one of the
> Laura Ingalls Wilder books, when Pa was kicked out of Indian Territory in
> Oklahoma because he and some other settlers were trying to move in on the
> Indians' reservation. The settlers simply could not understand why the
> government was favoring the Indians, who did not use the land for farming
> but let it stay wild. Walt Disney seemed to think of the wilderness as a
> place where bad things (or at least one bad thing per movie) could
happen -
> usually off-stage - but where everything always ends happily. Hakuna
Matata
> and all that.
>
> For me, the Fill - although not a wilderness - is my temple. I go there
for
> spiritual renewal and solace. But I wish I understood why it is a
spiritual
> experience for me when I go there. My husband, who is a great believer in
> E.O. Wilson's ideas about sociobiology, says that our need for nature is
> inborn, stemming from our genetic history. We like nature because it's in
> our genes to like it. Furthermore, the nature we like the best is the kind
> that most closely resembles the African savanna where we evolved, a mix of
> open woodland and grassland. (Perhaps this explains why the CUH likes to
mow
> the Fill so much, and why people spend so much time and money perfecting
> their grassy lawns, and maybe even why people put plastic flamingoes in
the
> front yard!)
>
> I certainly would appreciate your thoughts on these matters. Perhaps if we
> all understood the need for nature better, we could become more effective
> advocates for its preservation. - Connie
>
> on 9/7/03 5:00 PM, William Applegate at applgate at whidbey.net wrote:
>
> > Connie,
> > You write wonderfully well! Thank you for your description of "The
Fill" as
> > it was this AM.
> > Bill A.
> > William Applegate
> > applgate at whidbey.net
> > 2780 David Lane
> > Oak Harbor, WA, 98277-8912
> > (360) 679-1410
> > ----- Original Message -----
> > From: "Connie Sidles" <csidles at isomedia.com>
> >
>
>
>