Field Trip Reflection
2. Why is it important to understand how different people perceive the environment? Clue: our perceptions lead to our decisions...
3. What does the BIble say about how mankind ought to relate to the environment?
4. How might your lifestyle and actions impact on your local environment and the global environment?
5. How might you change our lifestyle and actions based on new perceptions of the environment?
On this field trip, we visited three separate areas in West Java, specifically Bandung, Garut, and Tasikmalaya. My perspectives on these environments haven't changed very much when visiting Bandung and Garut, because I have always known both places as places rich in culture and diversity. I have already known them to be people who emphasize the importance of culture and traditions, so the things I learned there weren't very new. When visiting Tasikmalaya, however, we visited a traditional village named Kampung Naga, where I received the experience of a large community of people who live in one with nature. Previously to this experience, I have already once visited a village that lies in a valley in between mountains, and there I have experience what it was like to live completely deprived of electricity, where to receive resources people would have to hike alongside a mountain, regardless of the weather. Hence, the experience in Kampung Naga was sort of like a toned down version of the first traditional village that I visited, so I was able to be comfortable in it. It was also my first experience in a large community of people who abide by traditions, and so it opened my eyes to the fact that this traditional village could've held it's wholeness even though it's quite close to modern civilization. My perspective towards the people of Kampung Naga, therefore, is one full of respect for firmly holding their traditions and culture.
Understanding the difference of how people perceive the environment lies in the diversity that we must learn to accept. Humans are creatures that hold a lot of diversity, and the culture and habits in different areas of Indonesia is proof of this. Indonesia is famous for it's diversity in culture and traditions, and to truly be united as one country we must be willing to accept the culture of others. Learning the cultures of others will also lead us to be more open-minder people, and when we become open-minded we learn to adapt to other people's cultures and lives. We learn how to act in the public of others, as well as what is the preferable attitude of that culture. In this, we will be able to gain respect in all the places we visit in this world, and we won't offend them.
In relation to the environment, the scripture that explains what me must do is Genesis 2:15. This verse tells us "The Lord God took the man an put him in the garden of Eden to work it and keep it," which means that God placed us in this earth to take care of his creations. Although we, humans, aren't in the Garden of Eden anymore (because of the sin that Adam and Eve executed) we must still take care of the nature that God entrusted onto us. The Bible tells us that we must tend to that nature, and because of that we must. God has instructed us to preserve the nature that He had created, meaning that we mustn't take it for granted or put it to waste, because God's creations are our responsibility to take care of. We must learn to appreciate His creations more, so that we will naturally have the urge to conserve the ecosystems that He has created. God has entrusted this upon us, which is declared in Genesis 2:15, which is why we must be active in the care of the ecosystem.
There are different ways my lifestyle might impact my environment, locally and globally. These ways may have negative or positive effects on the environment, depending on the action itself. An example of the positive affects my actions can do locally is if I clean the environment around me. This will bring positive affects to the environment around me because then my environment will be clean. In the long term, this small action will also bring positivity in a global scale because I will create a lifestyle for myself that will be used to a clean and green environment. With these little actions, I will be successful in decreasing the amount of trash and waste that I emit. In a short-term point of view, this might not be much, but when viewed long-term, then the impact will be great. With the little habits that I start now, too, I can affect the people around me, who will hopefully also affect the people around them. Then, little by little, more and more people will be used to the green and clean lifestyle. If I'm treating the environment negatively, however, I can cause a lot of problems in my local and global environment. Locally, small things that show neglect to the ecosystem will only seem urkish and displeasing to the eyes, however, if I do things negatively, these small things will slowly grow and grow, which will bring impact globally. All in all, to make sure that my local and global environments are safe, I must make a habit for myself to preserve my environment in a positive way that will not upset the ecosystem.
Based on my new perspective on the environment, I will make sure that I will be more careful in controlling what I do. For example, I will be more conservative of the natural resources that I have. I will also learn to make my self used to the habit of tending for the environment around me. I should also make it a habit to pick up all the trash that I see around me, so that that trash will not cause any kind of water clogging (because if a water stream is blocked, then there is a potential flood.) Although my environment is mainly Bogor and Sentul, areas that generally don't flood, I must still make it a habit for myself to clean up insoluble waste, because when many tiny actions are combined together, they can form big ones. With my new perspective, too, I will make sure that my lifestyle isn't abusive of the nature around me, and that all my actions won't have negative results on nature. This mindset will greatly help me in preserving my local environment, and will hopefully affect the people around me so that they, too, may learn the importance of preserving each individual's environment. If these tiny steps are taken, then slowly and steadily, the whole world will learn to preserve their own environments, and that will be positive in large scale.