The Mystics

I hadn't heard of any of these writers before I read their introductions. I thought Thomas Merton had the most interesting back story. His introduction tells us he was a monk with a vow of silence, and was only able to speak through his writing. I feel like a lot of writers have a hard time speaking, as it is, and are sometimes only able to write what they feel and what they want to say. The introduction tells us Merton also takes an "exploratory rather than doctrinaire approach towards" his experiences through writing, which I believe is a unique approach for someone who is religious. I believe writing should be half observation and the other half finding faith. I thought it was sad that "accidental electrocution" was his demise, wondering what could have been. Ann Haymond Zwinger's introduction tells us she studied art history in Indiana, which helped her illustrate plants her writings. Like her, I consider drawings as a "integral complements to the writing itself." She wrote books about the southwest deserts, mountains, and rivers. They describe her books as a way "to make you see" instead of just telling you what you need to know. Peter Matthiessen's introduction doesn't tell us much about his childhood, which was disappointing, because I like to get a feel of where the authors have been and what they have come from and rose above. Matthiessen writes about "his own expeditions to wild places around the world," which is pretty impressive. He also writes about "damage" to and "the excellence and elusiveness " of wilderness. Terry Tempest Williams's introduction tells us, she grew up in the Mormon culture, who was a "teacher among the Navajo," which is relatable to an Utah reader. She writes about "threats to ecology," "Native American myths," and the "metaphorical and environmental" links of the "landscape."



"Rains and the Rhinoceros" by Thomas Merton describes how much he enjoys the rain of the country, as is it is not for sale, how he listens to its messages, how the city rain doesn't compare, and how he comes up with excuses to hear it. He also describes the theories of Philoxenos, believed we need to live an active and contemplative life. Merton writes about a disease called Rhinoceritis as being "those who have lost the sense and the taste for solitude." "Of Red-Tailed Hawks and Black-Tailed Gnatcatchers" by Ann Haymond Zwinger, describes days when she took nature trips to the desert to observed the birds and how it became one of her favorite places in the world. Zwinger was afraid to go at first, because she thought she would be bored from being alone, and the heat would be too much. She was eating a can of tuna fish and described how the birds were flying over her head, using their individual hunting skills, trying to get her food. She describes the bees and their pollinating habits and other animals like the bighorn sheep. "The Tree Where Man Was Born" by Peter Matthiessen describes in great detail the predatory skills of wild dogs, hyenas, and lions he saw while visiting Africa, revealing it is a harsh survival for certain animals. He also writes about how the elephants are causing a problem in East Africa, because they are overpopulated. He then talks about the local tribes in comparison to the animals and how they use their skills to survive, calling on their gods to feed them. "The Clan on One-Breasted Women" by Terry Tempest Williams describes how breast cancer runs through her family, which she believes is the result of nuclear activity in her hometown. She along with her "mother, grandmother, and six aunts" have had mastectomies. She questions her Mormon faith as she voices her concerns about the lawmakers in Utah, saying "the price of obedience has become too high." She describes a dream she had about how "women all over the world circled a blazing fire in the desert" calling out to save the animals and land around them. Williams recalls her arrest from trespassing "at the Nevada test site." When asked why she had a pen and paper in her shoe, she told the officer, they were her "weapons."



In "Rain and Rhinoceros," Thomas Merton writes, "Solitary cannot survive unless he is capable of loving everyone, without concern for the fact that he is likely to be regarded by all as a traitor. Only the man who has fully attained his own spiritual identity can live without the need to kill, and without the need of a doctrine that permits him to do so with a good conscience." I also against hunting for other reasons beside necessary food and am saddened by the people who just do it for the thrill of it. In "Of Red-Tailed Hawks and Black-Tailed Gnatcatchers," Ann Haymond Zwinger writes, "I prefer the absences and the big empties, where the wind ricochets from sand grain to mountain. I prefer the crystalline dryness and the unadulterated sky strewn from horizon to horizon with stars. I prefer the raw edges and the unfinished hems of the desert landscape. Desert is where I want to be when there are no more questions to ask" because to her, it is full of open space and awe worthy experiences. In "The Tree Where Man Was Born" Peter Matthiessen writes, "of all African animals, the elephant is the most difficult for man to live with, yet is passing- if this must come- seems the most tragic of all." I agree with Matthiessen, as the elephant's extinction would be devastating. I know when I go to a zoo, I want to see majestic elephants, and if they weren't there for future generations, it would be quite sad. In "The Clan on One-Breasted Women," Terry Tempest Williams writes, "I must question everything, even if it means losing my faith. Tolerating blind obedience in the name of patriotism or religion ultimately takes our lives." I think everyone has asked themselves, what they believe in, and what they are willing to tolerate or stand up for.



I went to San Diego Zoo Safari Park in May and the tour guide was telling us the park had two (one boy and one girl) of the seven remaining white rhinos in the world and how they wouldn't mate. She informed us the park had taken blood and DNA samples from both and were probably going to artificially inseminate the female rhino to bring more rhinos into existence. I've always wonder how people can live in the heat of the desert, like Ann Haymond Zwinger. I guess they can do it, because they get used to it and the environment that surrounds them. In "The Tree Where Man Was Born" Peter Matthiessen writes, "Starvation is the greatest threat to lions, which are inefficient hunters and often fail to make a kill." When I think of lions, I think of them being kings of the jungle and ferocious, so Matthiessen enlightened my thinking. In "The Clan on One-Breasted Women," Terry Tempest Williams describes her family "as a Mormon family with roots in Utah since 1847." I have relatives on both sides of my family, who came over from Sweden and England, to join the church in the 1800s, as well. Like Williams, I do believe the nuclear poisons Utah has, has created a lot of unnecessary diseases in our citizens. My mother has Multiple Sclerosis, my grandmother had Breast Cancer, and I have had two Melanomas. When my mom was working, another lady who worked in the same pod as her, was diagnosed with M.S. around the same time. In my old neighborhood above Highway 89, there were three people who had brain tumors and two people with M.S. The area used to be a garbage dump and they continue to do rock blasting close by. These diagnoses have to have an environmental cause.