Sigurd F. Olson
Sigurd Olson, a minnesota conservationist, explorer and woodsman, on how to live the good life. Olson lets his philosophy on life out in three parts: Primal Heritage, The Search for Meaning, and The imponderables; drawing the conclusion that the only way for man to truly be happy is in a close covenant with nature.
The more I contemplate the Universe, the more it seems like a great thought. James Jeans, referenced on pg. 33
Silence is one of the most important parts of the wilderness experience; without it the land is nothing more then rocks, trees, and water. 41
The thought of being concerned with life is a magnificent achievement for modern man, a simple solution to his problems, which could mean peace for all who take time to know the life around them. 51
One of the saddest remarks anyone can make is that he is bored, just killing time, with nothing to get excited about, nothing to warrant enthusiasm. When I sense such reactions, I wonder what has happened to the sights and sounds, to the senses of smell and touch, to the realization of an infinite world of beauty and mystery. Part of the answer is that man has removed himself so completely from the natural scene, which used to give comfort and pleasure, his reactions have atrophied through lack of use. 68
Thoreau advised us to “drive life into a corner and reduce it to its simplest terms,” recognizing the truth that complexity robs us of time and energy by making life so involved with the unessential, the real things are forgotten and never seen. 89
One cannot run from a challenge without losing. To flee is signing a death warrant to dignity and character, and, having run, there is no return; one is a weakling forever. 96
There is a certain dignity that comes to those who use their hands in doing something well, a calm assurance in having conceived an object and seeing it through to its completion, which is missing in production lines where workers often do only one essential task and never see the finished product. 108
Wholeness is part of simplicity and silence, and of all the components of a wilderness experience. It creeps up without warning, cannot be sought or looked for, but suddenly it is there. One never says, “This is wholeness,” for at the time he things of nothing, and often does not realize he has known it until long afterward. But once having felt it, he never forgets. This is the essence, the ultimate. 113
The good life. 128, among others
Joseph Wood Krutch. 140
balance in our use of the earth is the answer, and in the distribution of its riches, recognizing nations can no longer feel isolated or secure, nor ignore the needs of others less fortunate. If this means the integration of mankind with nature in its various forms, it also means the integration of all people on this earth. It is a planetary matter, not a local or national one. 141
Know Thyself. 143
You cannot turn your back on any challenge, physical or mental, if you do you diminish yourself, and the next time it will be easier to say, “No, I cannot do it.” If you take the hazards as they come and survive, you will be stronger and better and the trip will be a milestone in your life, one you will always know as a turning point. 146
Lao Tzu’s Book of Tao. 150
Walt Whitman, Leaves of Grass. 152
Once I asked him [Herman DeCosta, practicing Buddhist] to tell what its [Buddhism’s] basic tenets were, and he replied, “Humbleness before God and nature, selflessness and tolerance in a world of bigotry and greed, simplicity in one of complexity.”
Emergent God. 166
grace… is the outward expression of the inward harmony of the soul. 166
Man’s only goal, that of human destiny, is the evolution of his mind to the point where he, and mankind as a whole, becomes aware of love, beauty, and truth. This is the emergent God, and if man works towards it constantly in his outlook, thoughts, and actions, he may become godlike. 167
The great challenge is to build a base of knowledge and understanding of such depth, clarity, and power that it cannot be ignored, and never forget that the stature of man and the development of his culture has increased because of beauty, mystery, and vision, not through ugliness, warped and twisted psychosis. 171
