How Does Bell Hooks Connect To Nature

“The Inner Climate” by Pico Iyer and “Touching the Earth” by bell hooks both share the idea of connecting to the nature. Pico Iyer argues that in order for one to externally change, they must first internally change. Similarly, bell hooks argues that the individual spiritual change affects the external environment. Though both the essays show the importance of the nature and how one should connect to it, they both go in a different direction and have their own perspectives.

The use of technology and how it makes us disconnected with nature was mentioned in both readings. In Pico Iyer’s “The Inner Climate” he talks about giving up technology and staying connected to nature “...living in the small room in the middle of nowhere, with no bicycle …show more content…
In “Touching the Earth” she talks about limiting the use of technology and we should not always connect to technology. Nature recharges our mind and calms our soul because we are so focused in technology and getting the things done, and therefore technology should not be removed but it should be limited. Infact hooks lives in an apartment in New York City where she was surrounded by technology but she was still connected to the nature where she has a garden and she grows herbs, vegetables, flowers, things that keeps her healthy. She would simply pause as she mentioned “I can pause to listen to birds sing, find the tree and watch it ( hook, Last to fourth paragraph)” meaning she didn’t give up technology but simply paused herself from everything to connect to the nature. hooks also talks about the struggles African Americans had when they moved from the south after the civil war. They missed their land and as a result they were disconnected from the nature, “living close to nature, black folks were able to cultivate a spirit of wonder and reverence for life (hooks, first paragraph on the second page)” meaning the African Americans in the industrial North had a difficult life since they were not working on their farms, they had to start a new life. They would sometimes sleep hungry because they were unskilled and this lead to low wages. However, when they were in south, they at least had their farms, a way of supporting themselves and not feeling alone; because when the black folks work on the farm they felt like ‘one’.“…black people who found that even though life in the new world was “harsh, harsh,” relationship to the earth one could be at peace (hooks, first page).” When black folks worked on the farms they knew they were at peace because they had the connection with nature, whereas in the north, all connections were