Free Essay On The Picture Behind Whitman And Standing Bears Nowadays

Across the globe, the issue of nature destruction has become common among diverse communities and races. Currently, people are treating their environment and nature in a harsh way and consequently limiting the earth’s possibility to sustain life. In the historical days, the Native Americans were more concerned about the nature’s beauty compared to the white people who came to degrade their land. Native Americans such as Standing Bear provided the distinction between the Native Americans and the white men. Contrary to the Native American’s, the white men came into American’s land and carried out the destruction of the nature. According to Standing Bear, after the arrival of the white man, “forest were mowed down, the buffalo exterminated” dams extricated allowing more floods, bird silenced, and various animals and plants destroyed (Luther p.2). However, in the contemporary world, the concept of the white mind had extended beyond race and ethnicity. People from all parts of the world are engaging in the environment and nature destruction rather than conservation as emphasized by Native Americans such as Standing Bear and Whitman. As a result, the concept of the white men is no more applicable to the white men only, it is a universal concept practiced by diverse society globally.
Today, the natural ecosystems and the bio-capacity has become a playing ground for the human race resulting in severely degradation that has an adverse effect on the human race. Fisheries, forests, rangeland, fresh water system, oceans, and other natural systems have been threatened by the human activities. Similar to the case of the white men during the time of Standing Bear, the environmental beauty and conservation has become of no importance to the today’s people (Luther p.1). From overharvesting to pollution, exploitation and damage of natural vegetation and wildlife by human race has resulted in a devastating effect on the ecosystem. According to the statistics by the World Centric, forests have been invaded by the humans, mowed down to create space for inhabitants and other activities such as cultivation. Today, 80 percent of the original forests have been destructed by human. At the same time, the world is losing around 375 square kilometers of forestland every day (Worldcentric.org). The statistics also suggests that the world is anticipated to lose the natural tropical forest at the rate of 5-10 percent in the next decade. Similarly, the 75 percent of the fisheries in the world has been over-exploited, exploited, or recovering (Worldcentric.org). Consequently, this can be interpolated as a phenomenon that was established by the white men during the times of Standing Bear and Whitman.
The man’s efforts in the quest for improving industrialization have resulted in a negative impact on the ecosystem today. For instance, one of the widely known impacts of industrialization to the nature is the ecosystem pollution. The industries are burning fuels such as coal in order to produce energy, which consequently releases toxic chemicals such as sulfur dioxide in the air. As a result of these devastating activities by the human race, air pollution has been accompanied by the acid deposition and acid rain, which consequently harms the plants and animals. The impact is worse when the toxic chemical released acidifies the aquatic ecosystems. Additionally, the industrialization results to liquid chemicals as byproducts that also affect the ecosystems. Such chemicals include zinc and lead runoff. This is evident that the human race has become an enemy of the nature and is destructing it instead of nurturing it.
Whitman reveals the importuning of nurturing the nature through his relationship with nature in his poem. Whitman defines nature as a godly and an insignia by God. This implies that the human race should respect the nature the way they respect their God. However, the meaning has lost its taste to various cultures across the world because they have lost their respect for the nature. What can now be seen in the contemporary world is the inverse of Whitman’s argument that the universe is alive because it supports life and has meaning. The destruction of the environment and the nature by people has constrained the earth’s capability to support life and offer a comfortable place to the human nature. Contrary to Whitman, some of the modern people seem to be unconcerned of the fauna and flora of the earth, the sea, forests, and other elements of the nature (Whitman n.p.). Human race can no longer be considered as the nature’s child because the relationship is dead. Despite the fact that not all humans are destructive to the nature, the majority contributed adversely towards the environment. As a result of overlooking the nature, what the nature has given back to the world is more devastating than the man can handle.
In conclusion, it is evident that the modern people have copied the ancient concept of the white men in the American land. As Whitman suggested, the nature has provided meaning and life to the human race. For this reason, people should give best to the nature by conserving and nurturing it rather than destruction. Time has come when people should join hands and support Native Americans view on the nature and environment in order to achieve a better and sustainable tomorrow.

Works Cited

Isenberg, Andrew C. The destruction of the bison: an environmental history, 1750-1920. No. 18. Cambridge University Press, 2001.
Kollmuss, Anja, and Julian Agyeman. "Mind the gap: why do people act environmentally and what are the barriers to pro-environmental behavior?." Environmental education research 8.3 (2002): 239-260.
Luther, Standing B. "On the White Men." The Americans (1990): n. pag. Web. 2 Feb. 2015. <http://www.rialto.k12.ca.us/rhs/planetwhited/AP%20PDF%20Docs/Unit%209/Luther2.pdf>.
Whitman, Walt. "Leaves Of Grass." The Walt Whitman Archive. Web. 02 Feb. 2015
Worldcentric.org. "Environmental Destruction | World Centric." World Centric: Zero Waste Solutions | World Centric. N.p., 2015. Web. 2 Feb. 2015. <http://worldcentric.org/conscious-living/environmental-destruction>.