Holly Klein

16635 Union Park Lane Dubuque, IA 52001

Holly.Klein@loras.edu
C: (563)663-7724

On Beating
Ive always wondered about the difference between the so-called human world and
natural world. Why is it that we believe these to be separate? Never once have I felt
disconnected with nature. Not once. I wonder if there is really a difference between these two
worlds. Personally, when I look around, I dont see one. In fact, the more I look, the more I see
nature in everything we do. Think about it. One could argue the way we sweat, or the way we
bleed is like the slow dribble of sap down a tree, right? Or the age-old clich that tears are like
rainfall. We cry and so does the sky. Theres no difference. But one could also argue sweat and
tears as a natural human reaction. We do it out of instinct, because our body tells us to. We sweat
in order to naturally cool off, discard excess heat from working muscles and to detoxify
dissolved solids. We cry because it is a natural and emotional response to certain feelings as
well. In this case, many things about humans are indeed natural. But maybe thats not the point.
Maybe its more materialistic than that. Is there a connection between our materialistic world and
nature?
Henry David Thoreau once said, Its not what you look at that matters, its what you
see.1 I remember the first time I visited Chicago. Being born and raised in Iowa my entire life,
the bright lights and bustling subways made me more nervous than thrilled. The constant rush I
felt to get from Point A to Point B was overwhelming and I wasnt even on a strict time
schedule. I had never felt so removed from the naturalistic world. Unconnected. But as I stood,
five feet, nine inches tall looking up at the Willis Tower 1,353 feet above me, I understood what
Thoreau was talking about. I saw it. I saw the connection between 4.56 million square feet, 1,500
miles of electric wiring 145,000 light fixtures andnature. The thousands of glass windows
1

See Nick Kelshs website for more information on Henry David Thoreau

Holly Klein
16635 Union Park Lane Dubuque, IA 52001
Holly.Klein@loras.edu
C: (563)663-7724

reflected the very same picture that Ive only seen done right by one artistnature. I stood there
watching as the clouds raced across those glass windows, reflecting every movement and glow
happening above me. I had seen this picture before. I saw it every summer day in the small creek
next to my house. I would stare for hours as the sun and clouds reflected off the shimmering
water. In that moment, standing underneath a 110-story building, I was incased in nature. Like
Thoreau, I could see it.
After that, I kept on seeing. I saw later that night as I drove through downtown Chicago,
weaving my way through traffic, the hundreds of white headlights going in every direction. Eight
went left, six went right, and an endless line passed me. I thought about my backyard. I thought
about when I was little and would spend all night trying to catch as many fireflies as possible.
The way they glowed so bright against the night sky and the way they all flew in different
directionseight went left, six went rightit was magical in a sense. I realized, again, that even
in this ever-growing bustling community of business, tourism and culture, I wasnt so far
removed from nature as I had thought and feared.
Flipping through the news channels in the hotel later that night I saw it again. I saw the
way house fires caused by the overheating of a pot or panhuman made equipmentand the
splattering of grease is like a forest fire. How can we say we are separated from all the animals
living in their forests getting their homes destroyed? How can we say we are different from the
monkey who puts his hands on his head, dropping his jaw as he watches the fire encompass his
home? We would react that way too. So what is it that makes us think we live in two different
worlds?

Holly Klein
16635 Union Park Lane Dubuque, IA 52001
Holly.Klein@loras.edu
C: (563)663-7724

All Nature's wildness tells the same story: the shocks and outbursts of roaring , thundering
waves and floods, the silent uprush of storms of every sort, each and all, are the orderly, beautymaking love-beats of Nature's heart.2
--John Muir
When I returned back to Iowa just one week later, Mother Nature cried louder than ever,
drowning the state with her tears. It rained for the next eight days and flood warnings were
becoming all too familiar. When the sun finally came out again, I took full advantage of it. I lay
on the soft ground and used the warmth from the rays as my cover. I watched the clouds skip
across the sky and thought about the skyscraper in Chicago. I watched for hours until they began
to turn an eerie shade of gray. More rain, I thought. Instead of taking shelter in my house, I
continued to lie on the soggy ground. Each droplet hit me like a feather but hit the creatures
around me like a boulder. To them, this is devastation. To me, its purifying. I had never felt so
indestructible. I watched the small ant next to me scurry so quickly to survive, but the rain hit
him and carried him away in such a small but steady stream created by only a few drips. It must
be awful, I think. Never knowing when you might be washed up in an instant. Just like that, you
lose your home, you lose everything. Completely separated. Alone and lost. Nature beating
nature.
The same way nature works against itself, humans do the same. I will never forget the
sound of screams from adults and children, the taste of my salty tears, or the blood that blanketed
the dirt road as my sister lay motionless on the cold, hard ground. I will never forget the image of
that man-made go-cart crashing down onto her, slicing her arm in twoskin dangling. This
object that had been created by humans nearly killed a human. Just when I felt indestructible,
2

The Eight Wilderness Discovery Books. More specifically, the chapter titled The Yosemite.

Holly Klein
16635 Union Park Lane Dubuque, IA 52001
Holly.Klein@loras.edu
C: (563)663-7724

when I felt that I was almost better than naturesuperiorit proved me wrong. I was the ant. I
was the one devastated. Alone and lost. Beat.
Not only do nature and humans work against themselves, but we work against each other
too. Every day, acres and acres of natural land is cut own, torn up, and used as a new building
site. Only 1% of Iowas native prairies still exist. Yet, at the same time, thousands of people a
year die from natural disasters ranging from tornados, to floods, to heat strokes. Yet, it is these
natural disasters that Muir describes as the powerful beating of natures heart. Maybe thats the
difference between the human world and the natural world. No matter how much land we
damage, trees we cut down, and prairies we fail to conserve, we will always be inferior. Natures
heart will never stop beating but someday ours naturally will.

Holly Klein
16635 Union Park Lane Dubuque, IA 52001
Holly.Klein@loras.edu
C: (563)663-7724

Works Cited
Kelsh, Nick. Henry David Thoreau / Its Not What You Look at That Matters." How to
Photograph Your Life. N.p., 05 Oct. 2013. Web. 04 Nov. 2013.
Muir, John. "The Yosemite." John Muir: The Eight Wilderness Discovery Books. London:
Diadem, 1992. 646. Print.
"Discover the Warm Personality of this Impressive Address." Willis Tower. N.p., n.d. Web. 04
Nov. 2013.