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9. of marshes and peace of mind
- University of Iowa Press
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9, of marshes and peace of mind At times, one of man's greater needs is freedom from himself, and this freedom is likely to be increasingly threatened by population and economic pressures, by dogmas of organizations exalting power and bigness, and by old ideas that Nature exists only to be conquered. The trapper or the ex-trapper or the frank recluse is not alone in needing, on occasion, freedom from man to escape being psychologically overwhelmed by Man as a mass phenomenon. Love of naturalness, of open skies and shady forests, of land and water and solitude and living things, is depicted over and over again in the world's literature and art, from long before the Christian era. It is known under many names or under no articulated names at all - by savages who can put little in words or who have in mind mystical deities of woods, waters, or mountains, and by persons of the most modern viewpoints who love the out-of-doors for what it is, all or part. I do not forget that the outspokenly practical can dominate personal decisions in choices between natural values and material objectives , nor that appreciation of beauty can even be so restricted to the man-made as to leave with some people little or no concept of the beauties of anything else. Still, usually, there are some people in any community who at times prefer solitude or the company of a close friend amid surroundings that are too rocky or too wet to cultivate or otherwise "develop." of marshes and peace of mind 115 Wilderness and related outdoor values may not offset all of the worries and frustrations to which civilized man is subject, but they help. I would say that cherishing them can be among the experiences redeeming human life from futilities and conceits. The receptive person can thus better see himself, his life, and his problems within a framework of universal order, of permanent physical realities, of evolutionary trends, and of the great phenomena of Life. In our north-central region, a glacial marsh is one type of predominantly native wilderness that we usually can retain after all of the others are lost in a thickly settled community-if we as the public really want to. • • • There is the question of what constitutes wholesome experience on or about a marsh, the question of what is acceptable conduct and its relation to human self-respect and peace of mind. Let us further consider the duck hunting that provides so much motivation for people being on marshes during the fall months. In my younger years, when I did so much of it, hunting could be either enjoyable or otherwise, or both. At times, I had to work so hard to get the game needed for the table that it was no sport to hunt. At other times, when on trips in company with other hunters, I had to (or felt that I had to) continue shooting much longer than I wanted to, merely to bring in the legal bag limit thought essential to social standing. I felt long ago that this old bag limit philosophy was pernicious, but it took me years thereafter to mature sufficiently to dare to show up in public without a bag limit after a hunt if I had any chance of getting the limit. I still do not like to come off a marsh during the hunting season and be looked over by hunters if I patently have been hunting and do not have in possession a creditable bag of ducks. Maybe this reflects a lingering immaturity, but I still know the feeling. The low bag limits of recent years have, indeed, increased my enjoyment of duck hunting in a number of ways, chiefly in that they work for a desirable moderation, not only as concerns the ducks but also the duck hunters. A bag limit of four or five ducks in a day is large enough to give satisfaction at an ordinary family table as well as a tangible incentive for an autumnal outing on a marsh. Under modern Iowa conditions, it can still be difficult enough to obtain 116 of marshes and peace of mind [3.235.46.191] Project MUSE (2024-03-28 12:44 GMT) (except on those rather exceptional days when a hunter has repeated opportunities for shotgun range shooting) but still is small enough to be within possibility now and then. Some of my late-year duck...