Into...the ocean?

Despite being on a blogging hiatus I could not help but talk about an interesting story I heard about. An Italian adventurer, Alex Bellini was just rescued after 10 months at sea. Bellini planned on crossing the Pacific ocean in a row boat. Yes, a row boat. He started off in Peru and began rowing to Australia. Bellini travelled more than 9, 500 nautical miles, but was caught in strong winds within 65 nautical miles of his goal. He was to exhausted to continue and called his wife for via satellite phone and asked for help. Bellini was at sea for a total of 10 months! He survived on dried foods and desalinated ocean water. He communicated with is family via satellite phone. Bellini said the the most difficult of his journey was the solitude and missed his wife terribly. His motive for his trip was not to set records but, to do it, and that "the other reason of my trip was making a trip inward. So it was discovering something of myself." 

I couldn't help but think of Into the Wild and thinking of Chris McCandless and all the other adventurers mentioned in chapters 6-9. He too pursued an outdoor adventure in order to find something out about himself, but was more prepared and capable of accessing others via satellite phone. Unlike McCandless, Bellini had experience, he had also rowed across the Mediterranean and Atlantic seas. This is just another example of how remote natural settings appeal to those who are searching for themselves. 

"Native Vision Gives Hope for Future"

While flipping through Lacrosse Magazine an article grabbed my attention. It was titled "Native Vision Gives Hope to Future". It opened with a powerful image, "In a 30 minute jog, I weaved through a labyrinth of shattered liquor bottles and empty cardboard beer cases on the shoulder of a 55-mph highway" the author then said, "Life on the Ft. Apache Indian Reservation, I quickly realized was not for the feint of heart ... or slow of foot".  The author along with 6 other US Lacrosse staff members went to teach lacrosse to 130 middle-school children. He goes on to explain the children's willingness to learn and practice.  He says, "Nothing happens quickly, however. And, it's hard to teach an 8 year old to envision a path that leads beyond his immediate horizon, especially one that could, ultimately, pull him away from home." 

I hardly expected to find a connection to American Studies while reading Lacrosse magazine, but I was surprised. This is an example of how Westward Expansion has forever changed the lives of generations of Native Americans. In the Fort Apache Indian Reservation more than half of the population lives below the poverty line. Much like the Spokane Indian Reservation, in Reservation Blues, alcoholism, substance abuse, and obesity are prevalent issues. The failed treaties and unfilled promises that took place during Westward Expansion forced these conditions on Native Americans, forever changing the lives of their people. Previous to Westward Expansion Native Americans were free to live where they wanted. Through failed treaties, war, disease, and land swindling they were left with nothing but the small areas designated to them by the Government, often wastelands invaluable for farming or other business.  People who once had all the land now must find ways to leave their home if they wish to be successful. I think it is great that US Lacrosse members are teaching kids the game of lacrosse. However,  the fact that the children live in an area that makes them dream of  athletic success not because they love the sport, but because it is an opportunity to leave their homes behind. We tend to view Westward Expansion as brave Americans venturing out into unknown territory to fulfill their destiny, we rarely remember the cost at which this expansion came at, but I'm sure the White Mountain Apache Tribe, and other tribes will never forget how it changed their lives. 

Walmart Rush

While watching the land race in Far and Away I was reminded of a tragic story I heard. On Black Friday a Walmart employee was trampled by a crowd of shoppers. The crowd was over-eager to get "big savings" on their holiday gifts. They broke down the electric doors and stormed the store. In the stampede towards the items, a Walmart employee was knocked over and then trampled to death. I find it appalling that people could be so blinded by a sale that they could not realize they were stepping on a person. The employee, Jdimytai Damour had no experience in crowd control, but was chosen for his size, he was 6-5 and weighed 270 pounds. My prayers go out to his family, the loss of his life could certainly been prevented. 

 The event reminded me of the land rush in Far and Away. The director of Far and Away clearly glorified the land race. The scene was exciting, jaunty music played in the background, it was a beautiful day, and opportunity was in the air. It barely portrayed the Native Americans who were losing their land or the people's greed in general. Like the people of Far and Away the crowd at Walmart allowed themselves to get caught up in the frenzy of ownership. The Walmart case shows how American materialism has progressed further. The people were so desperate to get items on sale that a man's life was lost. Although the current economic situation has made the holidays harder for some families, a recession is no reason to value a sale over a man's life. 

Great= Misunderstood

  Emerson once said, "To be great is to be misunderstood."  This statement applies to Upton 

Sinclair, the author of my junior theme book, The Jungle. Sinclair wrote the novel in hopes of exposing the corruption of the Chicago Meat-packing district and capitalism. He hoped that through his description of life for a family of Lithuanian immigrants, Americans would recognize the destructiveness of capitalism and pursue a more socialist way of life. Instead, the most enduring legacy of his novel was the creation of the Meat Inspection Act and the Pure Food and Drug Act. Although the government's inspection of meat factories was progress, Sinclair was disappointed because they focused more on cleanliness, not on improving the brutal working conditions. Sinclair felt misunderstood, his most famous words are " I aimed at the public's heart, and by accident hit it in the stomach." 

When I read Emerson's quote I immediately thought of Sinclair. I thought it was interesting how the two books I was reading for American Studies could relate so well. Although both author's books were on the surface very different, they both hoped their works would cause social reform. Emerson is regarded to be one of the greatest contributors to American literature, Sinclair forever changed the good industry. Sinclair really is an example of "To be great is to be misunderstood."