Abbey, And His Fear Of Progress
Edward Abbey
The day that the gray jeep with the U.S. Government decal and "Bureau of Public
Roads" on it, Edward Abbey knew that progress had arrived. He had foreseen it,
watching other parks like his, fall in the face of progress. He knew that
hordes of people and their "machines" would come (Abbey 50-51). Most people see
progress as a good thing. Abbey proclaims. "I would rather take my chances in a
thermonuclear war than live in such a world (Abbey 60)."
"Prog-ress n. forward motion or advance to a higher goal; an advance; steady
improvement (Webster's)." Is progress really all of that? How can you improve
on mother nature? Progress actually detracts from the parks natural ...
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such as: car troubles,
traffic, hotel rooms, other visitors pushing them onward, their bored children,
and the long trip home in a flood of cars. Many of them take tons of pictures,
possibly so that they can actually enjoy the park without all of the hassles
(Abbey 58). Without leaving their cars they will never actually experience the
beauty and wonderment of the parks. They will only find the stress and chaos
that they sought to leave at home (Abbey 59).
There is a minority though, that prefers to be able to get away from the modern
world completely, and travel throughout the parks on foot, bicycle, or horse.
With these vehicles they can travel on quiet trails that are impassable by
automobiles. These trails will lead them to places where progress has yet to
hit. They can sleep in the open, breath the fresh air, and hear nothing but
mother nature herself. They will never get pushed out of the way buy the rush
of other tourists, cramming to catch a glimpse of the ...
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their
lead and leave their cars behind to experience the outdoors.
Abbey has thought up a good, reasonable solution that would bring the outdoors
back to the outdoors. His plan is simple, it has three steps. Although his
plan may seem a bit drastic, a plan like this is needed. The first step of his
plan is to keep all motorized vehicles out of the park. The second, stop
building roads. The third and final step is to set the park rangers to work.
For the first step, a giant parking lot would be constructed about ten miles
away from the park. This will require people to find other means of
transportation, such as feet, bike, or horses to get there. The best plan would
be for the ...
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"Abbey, And His Fear Of Progress." Essayworld.com. August 11, 2006. Accessed November 23, 2024. http://www.essayworld.com/essays/Abbey-And-His-Fear-Of-Progress/50580.
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