Luther Standing Bear notes that the white man was primitive about nature and he never saw the beauty in it. Contrary, he asserts that the native American was respectful of nature and valued it with a lot of admiration. Nonetheless, it is inaccurate to judge people in the modern society by using these allegations since the love of nature depends on upbringing and the individual. Thus, the paper intends to discuss the differences between the white people and Native American’s views of nature as observed by Luther Standing Bear. Also, it explores whether those observations can be applied in the modern society.
The native American sees nature as beautiful and full of wonders. Luther Standing bear noted that the Lakota appreciated the enrichment of nature with finished beauty such as lakes, mountains, rivers, valleys, and woods. Also, he saw creatures such as birds, animals, and insects as a discernment and wonder to the man. On the other hand, the white man’s attitude to nature can be described as primitive, untamed, rude, wild, and savage. It embarrasses the Indian since he sees the allusions of the white man to nature to be unappealing to him and unfair to nature. Contrary, the white man considers these beliefs to be obscure since he thinks his knowledge is more profound and sympathetic than the average person. Therefore, the white man mocks the beliefs of the native which refer to nature as divine and providing deep admiration and understanding.
Also, the white man did neither have enough faith in nature nor did he look for harmony with his surroundings. Luther notes that the native American nature so much that nothing could escape his transforming hand. He could not withstand forests not being mowed, an animal recessing on quiet possession since he termed that as unbroken wilderness. Therefore, the Lakota did not see wilderness since he deemed nature to be hospitable and friendly to humankind. The white man sought dominance over his surroundings while the Indian found harmony with his surroundings. Therefore, the need to conquest was all that mattered to the white man, and he never saw the beauty in nature but its ugliness.
The white man was disappointed by the way the Native Americans treated nature with respect and saw it as a beautiful thing yet all he saw was the need to dominate and conquer nature so that it may be below him.Therefore, the character of the Indian left little room for antagonism toward his fellow creatures since they were lovers of nature. Accordingly, the difference could be attributed to the child instruction given to the young ones. The native American boys were quick to observe and admire the aspects of nature. Luther notes that there was certain reward and fulfillment of appreciating life for a Native American. It was because they believed that life was more than a mere human manifestation and they lived making sense of the word. On the contrary, the white boys were fascinated by worldly things such as fashion.
They could spend much time in a city street while aimlessly pushing each other around. The white boys never understood their surroundings. Also, they never cared to see the varied life forms which surrounded them. They had no awareness or acuteness of the environment. It is because they concentrated so much in observing one another and could not see anything about the nature that could fascinate them. Luther claimed that the natural childhood instruction caused the difference. He asserts that the native Americans were naturally aware and alert of their surroundings due to the type of upbringing they had.In the modern society, these diversities may not hold ground. It is because most of the households in the United States have pets which they value a lot.
Therefore, asserting that the white man does not value nature may be inaccurate since it is an outdated way of thinking. Also, appreciating nature comes naturally, and it depends on the individual not the race per se. Therefore, it is imperative to judge everyone separately without judging the whole group. Yes, some white men do not love pets, but that does not mean that all white men do not love animals. Respecting the nature comes naturally according to the way a person was raised. Therefore, if a white man is grown to love and cherish the beauty of nature, he will continue doing that even in his old age. Accordingly, asserting that the white boys concentrate on aimless fashion without having an awareness of his surroundings is incorrect.
It is because parenthood should be blamed for the disrespect to nature since whatever a young person is taught remains embedded in his mind forever. Let the white parents teach their children to be aware of nature and people will not complain about white men being egotistical and unaccommodating to the beauty of nature.ConclusionIt is apparent that the views of the native American regarding nature are different from the white man as discussed by Luther Standing Bear. However, it is improper to apply these observations to modern society. Thus, the paper intends to address the differences between the white people and Native American’s views of nature as mentioned by Luther Standing Bear. Also, it explores whether those observations can be applied in the modern society.