Nature or Nurture

by NatureHater_101

You think Nature with a capital "N" is important, right? We need to reconnect with it, care for it, care for our earth, right? Then you must also agree with the KH gardening initiative.

This is how the situation was presented: A equals B. I care about Nature. Gardening must be inherently good, so I like the various posts, and now I can feel like a better person. But it all current situation? I am in no way an expert in tear up the soil without a clue of what is good for it. I guess I am expected to give myself a gardening education in the meantime as well. This is not to speak of the professionals who are taught and paid to come and properly take care of our campus greenery.

To be honest, I must (almost shamefully) admit that I do not have the time or energy to take care of a garden. UCU students juggle four intensely academic courses, jobs, committees, and countless other responsibilities. There are times when I feel I can barely keep myself together, let alone patiently nurture the space outside. Does this make me a bad person? Or does this mean that others hold an immense privilege to have the time, abilities, and resources to actually do so? And what happens when these lucky people leave? Let’s put more high expectations on future students’ shoulders, maybe they won’t have enough already.

This idea does not only create expectations for what students should do but also how they should be doing it. Not only are we being asked to make time to garden, but to also garden well.

Perhaps I lack faith, but then again, UCU already does have a garden for students (did you even know?), and it’s completely neglected. Students could be working on improving the spaces more areas that will then be abandoned. I guess that wouldn’t get as many likes on Facebook though.

In the end, what annoys me is that you are either on the side of “Nature”, the good side, or you are M.D.'s little bitch, cynical and unsympathetic. This is a striking logical fallacy, and I was actually quite surprised at the complete absence of any type of critical reaction. Maybe I am cynical, but I am far from being anyone’s bitch. I love that UCU students are idealists, I think it is a valuable strength and I would never say otherwise. However I have begun to notice that at times, the practical necessities and the material consequences of someone’s actions are ignored in the face of a larger, abstract principle. I know this initiative was born from the best of intentions, but the privilege and thoughtlessness in its execution make the whole thing feel hypocritical.

I write this outside, facing my own KH garden. It is green and alive, even though I have not touched it. The same seemingly dead sticks that I saw during the winter have now sprouted and bloomed. I am so grateful for our campus, while also knowing there is always room for progress. I just don’t think randomly planting cabbage is the most sustainable way to go.