How Did Muir And Abbey Appreciate The Beauty Of Human Nature?
“Wilderness is not a luxury but a necessity of the human spirit, and as vital to our lives as water and good bread.” (Abbey) These words, written by Edward Abbey in 1982, resonate the ideas proposed by John Muir nearly a century prior. While both Muir and Abbey both appreciate the natural beauty found in the American Southwest, only Abbey recognized the threat of human intervention on the preservation of the natural beauty of these wilderness areas.
In Explorations in the Great Tuolumne Cañon, Muir describes the area that would later become Yosemite National Park in great loving detail. It is obvious from his writing that he is mesmerized by the beauty of the area, and is willing to risk self-harm in order to more fully immerse himself in
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His distaste for this action is evident in Canyonlands and Compromises as he describes the plight of the conservationists as they fight to preserve the remaining unspoiled land in the American Southwest. Once renowned for its pristine air and landscape, the area now is under assault from pollution from tourist travel and coal burning power plants. Compromise, he reasons is a misnomer for the actual events transpiring in this area. Conservationists are forced to relinquish some of their desires in order to prevent losing all negotiations. He argues that urbanization of this area threatens its survival, and likens such growth to a cancer (Abbey). While he, like Muir, is enamored with the beauty of nature, Abbey has seen the effects of human intervention on the Western United States, and advocates for preservation instead of promoting the lands. A century of growth and exploration changed the focus of the environmentalists since expanded use of fossil fuels led to destruction of some of the formerly unspoiled areas. Muir’s emphasis was on reveling in the magnificence of the mountains, while Abbey cautions of the effects of exploration and accompanying greed on the health of the
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