I think yes. Although living on a somewhat secluded island would definitely not be for me, I think those that have the "gumption" to be different and live a more individual lifestyle should do so. While we may find this to be somewhat strange and impractical, I'm sure they can say the same for those who choose to life in the middle of a loud, dirty, always moving city. If these people choose to stay secluded, who are we to tell them that they "need" to join the real world?
Monday, November 3, 2008
Blue Highway
In the third passage of Blue Highway Miz Alice describes the calmness of life on her island. She speaks of her ability to tune-in with nature, and appreciate the small things in life. By living in this way, it appears as though Miz Alice is able to avoid stress, and avoid the ever prominent obsession with material possessions. For the time being, I think this is exactly what Heat-Moon needs to hear. After everything that happened in his life, he needed a break. But is this realistic as a permanent lifestyle? Could other people really live this way?
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7 comments:
I agree. As different as it would be living on a secluded island, I think for most people it would be a good way of life. You would not have to worry about materialistic things or "real world" issues. I do not think that I could personally live a slow pace lifestyle on the island, but for many people the island life would be the way to go. Even though it is not realistic I think in many ways it would allow you to appreciate the little things in life.
I think that it would be hard to pick up your things and move to a secluded island. Heat- Moon is taking this trip across America to escape for awhile. I do not think he has the intention to stay at any of the places he visits permanently, but instead recollect himself. I think this journey has been a helpful lesson to him. From reading the passages from his book, Blue Highways, I think that he is gaining insight from the wise people he comes across. For instance, Miz Alice is a down to earth woman teaching him about appreciating the beauties of the world.
I think if everyone took time to vacation and get away from their hectic lives, they would soon realize that the world is a beautiful place. Like lynn said, "it would allow you to appreciate the little things in life." Because the little things in life are just as beautiful and important as the big things.
Appreciating the little things in life is what keeps Miz Alice happy on the Island. What kind of stuff does she pay attention to, specifically? Have you ever poked around in the curiosity shop of the world like she does? How about some examples, how about saying what you might have around you in your house if you lived in a place like that, or what you would take with you if you were going to spend even six months in a remote little town?
The passage about the "gumption to live different" does tie in with being interested in things of your own choosing, not the things your culture or advertising or peers say are important. But I don't think you have explored this idea in depth yet. Can you think of some examples where people find it easier to conform than to think for themselves?
I am not so sure that living away from "civilized" society is necessarily the correct way to live for your entire life. I think that humans inherently need a connection to something bigger than ourselves. I think it is healthy to get away from the materialistic tendencies of our culture. Yet, is it realistic to do so? It is imperative that everyone has a moment of self-discovery. What better way to discover than to get away from distractions? But can it be considered cowardice? Can it be frowned upon to essentially give up on your life in society? I don't think so. I think that the moments of isolation and seclusion are there to help you discover what is important in your life in society, who you want to be, and what you will value in a civilized society.
However there is something intrinsically valuable about connecting with others in a society. Even Heat-Moon, who is going on this journey to discover himself, has every intention of returning to his life; only this time, he hopes to do things differently.
Going off of cec's first comment, I find that the only time I really look around and soak up everything around me is when I'm on vacation. At home everything seems normal and routine, and I take for granted all of the little things in nature. However, when I'm somewhere new, I love just observing the world around me and taking everything in. True, when I'm looking, I am not only looking at the nature - I look at the stores and the restaurants and the people, but I definitely don't forget about the nature. It's fun to see the variety of trees and birds etc that are different from those back home. On vacation I live a slower life, with a pace much like that of Miz Alice's, whereas at home I am busy and don't have the time to see every small detail of the world around me.
(in response to patrick s.)
At first, I thought that Miz Alice's lifestyle was not desirable because it was not real. How can one truly live and experience life to the fullest when you do so in a place like Chesapeake Bay? However, I read the final paragraph where Miz Alice states that "having the gumption to live different and the sense to let everybody else live different" is the most difficult part of her lifestyle. After reading this, it really changed my views on the island. There are many arguments as to why living in a secluded environment is detrimental, but how admirable is her courage and strength to overcome so many temptations? I think that by living in Chesapeake Bay, she is able to look at life correctly, something that takes us an entire life to figure out. Throughout the passage, she reveals so much wisdom and truth about life; her morals and thoughts are what we desire out of life.
I think that at this point in Heat-Moon's life, the island is a good place for him to be. I think that he is extremely overwhelmed by the troubles of his past and needs time and a place to focus on what's important - himself. Like Miz Alice did, Heat-Moon needs to change the way he looks at things to positively change himself.
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