Nature-is it too dangerous?

Today in class we discussed advertisements utilizing landscape.  At one point in the conversation, someone talked about how many outdoor recreation companies are selling products that makes going out into nature safer and easier for humans, like tents that pop up out of the back of cars, or clothes that keep us warm in -30 degree temperatures.  Nature isn't always a safe place for humans.  We know that, and that's why we create products like the clothes that withstand -30 degree temperatures. The romantic landscape painters that we've studied in class see nature as amazing, and they highlight only the romantic aspects of it.  However, nature isn't always glamorous,  People can get hurt out there; maybe this has something to do with the need to tame nature?  Anyways, around campus I've noticed many things that make our nature a little less wild. 

First: the paths in the natural lands.  They are groomed, quite well, and are wide enough to let a large car drive with ease through the lands.  While they are covered with grass, this large width takes away from that community with nature that I personally seek.  The longest single path is less than a mile long, and as I saw last week, even the paths are groomed to get rid of the dangerous ice.  Sure, the natural lands are there, but they're not so natural.  They're tame, and kept that way by us. 

Second: the rotating gardens on campus.  I love having plants around, and would much rather have these gardens than lawn, but often times the flowers are ripped out of the ground after they've been there for a month.  A month!  That's quite unnatural.  For me, the joy of having a garden around is in the upkeep, in keeping plants ALIVE.  Here, they are taken from the ground before they even begin to die.

Third: the quad.  Don't get me wrong, I love that we have the open space to play in.  However, as we've discussed in class, it really isn't natural.  It's resod every year because the grass doesn't grow well in this climate.  We chop down trees when they are in the way of a path. 

In some ways, our campus tries to be environmentally friendly, but it doesn't seem to go all the way.  We're kept safe from nature, perpetuating the idea that nature is great, but only when it doesn't harm us.