“Consciously at times, unconsciously at others, we search for ways to reclaim our loss (of Eden)” (3). Central Park, palm trees planted along the side of the road in Miami, and the garden behind your house all have one thing in common: they were made for the same purpose, to reinvent Eden. You may not realize as you are weeding your garden or strolling through Central Park that you are subconsciously part of a movement to bring back the world to an ideal Eden like state. You can see examples of it anywhere you turn, man using technology to turn ‘wilderness’ into a structured haven in which society can live happily. When Eve ate the apple and she and Adam were forced to live in the untamed world we call home today God told man to dominate over nature. Some people have taken this literally, but some have derived a different meaning from the statement. Many people think that we must firmly control all aspects of nature, plants and animals alike. They believe that all ‘wilderness’ must be stripped away and order must be restored to the land. Others feel that we need an almost sheppard-like approach to nature. As a sheppard watches over, guides, and protects his sheep we must preserve nature and its natural beauty. They believe that nature itself is Eden and we must make ourselves one with nature in order to return to Eden. No matter what the individual believes the end goal is the same, the reinvention of Eden. A specific example of this would be to look at the Bryant University campus. What was once ‘wild’ woodland with trees and plants haphazardly spread about is now filled with manicured lawns and even pathways. They took the wilderness and transformed it using technology into a structured Eden like state. They added a pond with a calming fountain that creates a peaceful setting for people to sit near and relax. The pond could also represent the four rivers that flowed from Eden in the beginning. They also added colorful flowers that create a garden-like feel. People usually find peace and tranquility in gardens, which makes it a perfect setting for a college campus. This shows that even in places you wouldn’t expect Eden is being revived into the modern world.
“A lush garden. Pathways wander invitingly among rolling lawns and fragrant flowers” (1). This is how Carolyn Merchant opens up her book Reinventing Eden. It sounds nice, like something straight out of a painting or a fairytale, not really anything we see today in our lives. At what price will this Eden come though? When we have torn down all natural beauty and replaced it with manmade creations? Although humans long for the tranquility and final peace we will get in Eden is the sacrifice worth the reward? One can only hope so; for now I am content to live in our transition phase, industry in one half and nature in the other. Who knows, someday we may all walk a path through Eden, and while reveling in its beauty, long for life the way it was after the Fall.