"There are no words that can tell the hidden spirit of the wilderness, that can reveal its mystery, its melancholy and its charm."
I spent much of the afternoon at the American Natural History Museum. Until today, my only experience with the museum was in books (it's important in The Catcher in the Rye, right?). My favorite part of the museum was the Spectrum of Life in the Hall of Biodiversity. Check out the crustaceans, the spider crab is especially disturbing.
Actually, I was surprised by the number of things in the museum that genuinely scared me. I tend to think of myself as fairly level-headed and outdoorsy, but all sorts of "natural" things terrify me. Eels, tapeworms, sea lions, jellyfish, anything with more than four limbs (or any number of tentacles), the list goes on and on.
Anyway, despite my fear, I had a great time. I'm not a scientist at all, but I think I at least partially understand the allure of scientific study. It seems like the study of science (especially biology and ecology) would generally involve a great deal of wonder (at least, that's what I felt much of today). I'm content to spend my academic and professional life immersed in law, politics and history, but I'll admit that studying the origins of life and the universe would be pretty fascinating.
Historian that I am, my second favorite thing about the museum was the quotes from Teddy Roosevelt that fill the walls of the its rotunda. I've included one that fairly accurately reflects my thoughts today as the title of this post. To see more, click here.
Actually, I was surprised by the number of things in the museum that genuinely scared me. I tend to think of myself as fairly level-headed and outdoorsy, but all sorts of "natural" things terrify me. Eels, tapeworms, sea lions, jellyfish, anything with more than four limbs (or any number of tentacles), the list goes on and on.
Anyway, despite my fear, I had a great time. I'm not a scientist at all, but I think I at least partially understand the allure of scientific study. It seems like the study of science (especially biology and ecology) would generally involve a great deal of wonder (at least, that's what I felt much of today). I'm content to spend my academic and professional life immersed in law, politics and history, but I'll admit that studying the origins of life and the universe would be pretty fascinating.
Historian that I am, my second favorite thing about the museum was the quotes from Teddy Roosevelt that fill the walls of the its rotunda. I've included one that fairly accurately reflects my thoughts today as the title of this post. To see more, click here.
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