Philosophy

Stefan Bonneau Writing assignment 1 Due Oct.5 2010 From what I read in the “lines in the mind” by Donella H. Meadows, she seems like she is trying to say something about nature and how people are treating the earth. There are many sentences in the passage that explain what she is trying to say but not directly saying it in the way we are used to seeing it. My interpretation is that Donella H. Meadows is that she wants people to treat the earth better and that people shouldn’t be putting lines on the earth n treat Mother Nature with respect and stop acting like we are in control of everything. Donella is very consistent throughout the paper with saying how beautiful the earth is and how people are treating it the wrong way and how nature is in control. In the fifth paragraph, she states that “Humans build houses on the land beside the sea, and the sea comes and takes them away”. This statement is claiming that even that us humans are building houses, that mother nature can come at anytime and take that away. Meaning hurricanes, tornadoes, floods and other natural disasters that humans have no control over. Also that people should not put lines everywhere and appreciate the earth at it is and stop claiming what is not even there. People should stop making up maps drawing lines to separate each other and claim land that is the earths and not human created. The lines that are talked about in the passage are meaning that they shouldn’t be lines at all, that they should all be non-existing. In the second half of the passage she starts to talk about how good the earth is and how it’s appreciated. She states that “when I eat, I eat the soil that nourished the apple. When I drink, the waters of the earth become me. With every breath I take in I draw in not-me and make it me”. When she is talking about eating the apple she is referring to how the earth has created that apple and it is not owned by any humans so it is pure and not filled with thought of lines and property. She is also saying the same thing about the water and the air that it is all nature and it should be very well appreciated. But towards the end of the passage she starts to talk about how she tries not to pay attention to it. Saying that there is no choice but to pay attention because whatever she does, no matter how she feels she knows how it feels. But then when she does pay attention to everything that the earth has to offer that she can’t help but to love and appreciate what the earth has to offer. Donella H. Meadows really went into depth with how she feels about the earth and how humans create lines to separate everything in this world. People really have to treat the earth better and appreciate more than it has been treated in the past.