AdventuresNW
On September 3, 1964, President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the Wilderness Act into law.
Its purpose: “to assure that an increasing population, accompanied by expanding settlement and growing mechanization, does not occupy and modify all areas within the United States and its possessions, leaving no lands designated for preservation and protection in their natural condition” and “to ensure for the American people of present and future generations the benefits of an enduring resource of wilderness.”
At the heart of the Wilderness Act is a recognition of both the destructive appetite of humans and our capacity for wonder and reflection. When we stare at the night sky and simply open our eyes, it’s clear we are an anthropomorphic blip on an unfolding cosmic scroll. Yet, as a species with a seemingly inexhaustible drive to consume, we mine, manipulate, mar, and ultimately destroy the very earth that sustains us. Humans are fickle animals, capable of organizing the dust of this earth into the Sistine Chapel, the Taj Mahal, and the atomic bomb. In short, we are a paradox of power.
Yet, we are so busy with the logistics of living that we forget our place and our potential. The loss of nature as a sanctuary motivated the authors and activists to create the Wilderness Act. They were witnessing the destruction of the wild in a capitalist-fueled extraction of resources that was quickly destroying an ecologically sustainable and naturally beautiful landscape. They feared the development of the world and the loss of inspiration and connection to an inherently balanced and “unmarred” landscape. They feared the permanent loss of spaces for solitude and scenic inspiration that could remind us to be careful, to walk gently, and to channel our individual and collective action towards that which is beautiful, cooperative, and sustainable.
As we approach the 60th anniversary of the Wilderness Act and face yet another election cycle, it’s worth reminding ourselves that the systems we create for cooperation are fragile. We can rewrite our agreements and undo our citadels of law and order. That which we hold dear can be lost. Our market-driven, hyper-digitized, 24-hour click-buy-smear-kitten-face-insta-tick-scroll culture, if not unchecked, can distract and manipulate us into forgetting our place in the universe. What is that place?
Earth. Where beautiful, rare, and wild elements converge into intelligent and interconnected life. What is the “enduring resource of wilderness?” It is a reminder that life is sacred, wonderful, and worth working and loving to protect.
Abram Dickerson is the owner/principal at Aspire Adventure Running. As a husband, a father, and an entrepreneur, he attempts to live his life with intention and purpose. He loves mountains and the friendships that result from the suffering and satisfaction of running, skiing, and climbing in wild places.
