Theory applied to real life...

A few posts ago, I talked about the prevailing view of wilderness as a pristine environment unmolested by humans. I've been consciously trying to erase this notion from my thought process but I just wanted to share a short anecdote illustrating how difficult that really can be. 

A couple nights ago a friend and I were trying to plan a camping trip for after we graduate. She suggested staying in a lodge in a national park very close to where we live. Before I could even think, I blurted out, "Well it's not really far-away wilderness, but it will still be fun." Without even intending to, I succumbed to this ingrained concept that some natural environments are somehow more "wild" than others, that some aspects of nature are more "natural."

When a cultural view has been so deeply embedded in your consciousness since birth, it is unbelievable how difficult it can be to reject it even when you are actively trying to. I guess, sort of like becoming fluent in another language, it will take a while for this new world view to predominate the old one.