Wilcox

Humans are surrounded everyday by technology as well as nature. Thus, it is important to examine the influence each has on our lives. In order to do this, Edward Abbey’s book Desert Solitaire (1990) is a resource that tells how nature influences us. Sherry Turkle’s TEDx Talks video, Alone Together (2011), describes technology’s influence. Humans are dependent on both nature and technology. We will begin by examining how nature influences us. Desert Solitaire describes Edward Abbey’s life as a park ranger and his striving to become at one with nature. He chooses to leave behind technological resources and pursue a life that is solely dependent upon natural resources. He is content with his simple life, his connection with nature as well as the few visitors he gets at the natural park. His view is that technological advances detract from the natural experience, as he mentions in different ways throughout the book. He even goes as far as to mention that nature can’t be enjoyed fully from cars and that they should be left behind on the roads or in parking lots (Abbey, p. 48). It is pretty thought-provoking reading about this concept; we depend on our cars every day to get us different places, how much are we missing by driving versus walking or even riding our bikes? We are disconnected from what is around us when we get in our vehicles with the windows rolled up. We can’t feel the breeze or hear the sounds and with our eyes on the road, it is possible to miss so much of what else is out there. Abbey takes the time to enjoy the natural sights, sounds, and overall experience of nature around him and finds peace in his solitude and experiences in nature. The peace that can be found from enjoying the natural is hard to find with technology. Sherry Turkle’s video Alone Together (2011) describes how technology has changed over the years and how we have adapted to it. She even mentions that in the beginning with computers, people questioned the necessity of them and how