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Beauty By Influence

 While we focused a lot on our own definitions of beauty or what most of us would objectively find beautiful, we never really covered that sometimes society tells us what to find beautiful through trends and fads. The class with Stu and Trina touches on this a little bit, but throughout the eras of society, the standards of beauty (for humans, art, nature, etc) change constantly, and most people ebb and flow with it. There are probably multiple different reasons this occurs, like the change in culture, economics, and societal standards, and also trends set by elites. A great example of this is the story of the Mona Lisa. When it was first created in the early 1500s, many artists agreed that it was not Leonardo Da Vinci's best work, and even considered it to be quite plain. It was not discussed in the art world and was purposely largely ignored due to it being a disappointment. Interest in the painting did not come about until the 1800s when writers eventually started to add it to t...
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Language- Class Reflection

 In class, we briefly learned about the art of language and the difference between poetry and prose. Language provides power to something and creates a new meaning revolving around symbolism. If something is not named or is named but is invisible, the power of that thing is greatly diminished. In my major I see this a lot, if people do not know the terminology for environmental issues or do not experience and 'see' the issues firsthand they often do not believe in the issues occurring. Langage, the ability to name things and describe things, is so incredibly important, and while it feels like humans keep creating more categories for things, and new terms, I believe it is simply because we are learning new things about the world around us and are trying to translate the new information in a way that we understand. I believe that human vocabulary and scientific terminology will continue to expand as our knowledge continues to expand exponentially. Complicated words and phrases ar...
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Chauvet Cave- Class Reflection

 It was incredibly interesting to learn about this cave and connect it to the phenomena of art vs ritual. Initially, I confused this cave with the equally, if not more famous, Lascaux cave. I learned about the Lascaux cave in my art history class and it is one of the reasons I learned that I preferred to study ancient art as opposed to modern. While art today is still impressive and requires great skill, modern humans have more time and resources to be able to perfect artistic skills. There are also classes available and a heavy encouragement to build up a skill involved in the arts. It impressed me how incredibly detailed and clean the drawings were in the Chauvet Cave, they nearly looked like a modern rendition. To be able to do that with limited sources, even if they had a lot of practice out of ritualistic necessity, is incredibly impressive and fascinating. I am sure that through practice and learning from each other, they were able to perfect a lot of the beings depicted in t...
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Koyaanisqatsi- Class Reflection

 I really enjoyed watching this movie in class and I was happy that I caught on by the time we got to the rows of the flowers. While what humans have made is incredibly impressive and allows us to have a better quality of life, it is true when I say that I felt a little dizzy and out of breath while watching the fast pace of our lives. The urgent music and increasing speed of the videos portray the speed of life and technological progress, but it also brings a negative connotation as it is a stark contrast to the soft and relieving music and imagery at the beginning of the video. I really wish that this could be remade since it has almost been forty years since the movie came out. So much progress has occurred since, and I wonder how the film would have handled what is happening now in the 2020s. I believe they would have continued with the music and sped up footage, or paused to acknowledge the damage to the environment. I also think there would be a nod to the incredible technolo...
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Stu & Trina- Class Reflection

 It was amazing to see Stu and Trina again, to hear about their experience, and to see the video about the house. Nothing will ever compare to the real thing though. I had to go for Dr. Balay's Environmental Ethics course but I went with one other friend instead of the group trip and it was incredible. As I had said in class, I was taken away by the sheer amount of plant life and natural sunlight that was filtering into the house. The space was warm and welcoming and it truly had a different scent and air quality than what I am used to, especially in form life. I felt lighter and happier within that space, probably because it helped my seasonal depression and I wish I could have one for my own. Money is the main roadblock to getting one for myself or for most other communities, and the fact that the majority of contractors just won't from the current trends, as Stu said. I think that it is very disheartening that complexities within the business world and monetary complexities ...
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Critique of Ontology- Reading Reflection

In my Environmental Ethics Course, we attempted to look at the value of other things in nature without using a human lens, or in this case, what the Greeks would call doxai. My professor showed us philosophers who tried to find the 'truth' within what the environment really was and claimed to have strayed away from a human point of view. In my opinion, the frustrating truth is that we will never be able to escape a human point of view because everything we do has a permanent lens tied to our being. Every word, every concept, every definition, every emotion has been coined by humankind and we sadly cannot communicate adequately with anything else. Those who claim we can communicate with nature are right on some fronts, but we always translate that communication into a human point of view. We, literally speaking, cannot get out of our own heads which can be frustrating considering how powerful they are. I feel that Ontology runs into the same dilemma as my ethics course did. Thes...
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Reflection of my appriciation and inttrest of the sea 4/9/24

  I am fascinated by the ocean but also simultaneously scared of it. The beauty of the ocean is an accurate reflection of nature's majesty, a vast natural area that holds within it the mysteries of the world. Its beauty is not just in the shimmering turquoise tones of tropical waters or the intricate crashing waves against jagged cliffs, but in the essence of its being. The ocean, with flow, represents the cycle of life itself –constant, yet always changing, and serene yet powerful. In its depths lie a world of creatures we dont even know about. This is so fascinating. From the graceful dance of dolphins to the silent glide of whales and their vibrating and radiating communication noises the ocean is unlike anything else we have found. The sea is a realm of diversity and connectedness, where every animal plays a role in the balance of ecosystems. Its beauty is not just in the vision of colorful coral reefs or the graceful movements of sea creatures, but in the harmony of life that ...
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