College Pastoral

As I read Matthew Arnold’s “The Scholar-Gipsy”, I immediately felt a sense of conclusion and unity. The importance of nature reflected in his works is the perfect way to end the semester. Waller Creek immediately came to mind as I read that others recognize that “in the encounter of the individual with nature lay the means for personal refreshment” (410). Earlier in this course, we learned that Jones, too, recognizes that “Beauty is not a luxury; it is a necessity, a positive agency of survival, a deterrent to the terrorism with which our world is infested. And in cities---most of all those which, like ours, are growing too fast---we should be giving priority to preserving every natural pocket still available, with the practical aim of helping preserve ourselves” (661). I have come to realize the importance of nature in the personal development of all people. As children, we explore ourselves and nature through our adventures in the woods and hills, and, as adults, we explore ourselves through the self-reflection that nature allows us to have. Nature, however, also holds a particular importance for college students. We live in dorms, apartments, and co-ops where we are virtually always surrounded by others. Amidst the chaos and rush of college life, our thoughts can sometimes become tangled, confused, and hurried. Retreating to nature allows us to return to the simplicity that provokes clear and contemplative thought. We realize that “the source of wisdom is posited not in the university as such but in the surrounding countryside” (410). We learn through our encounters with and our reflection in nature. The poem also carries traces of Jones’ encounters at Waller Creek as a man who had “forsaken rational knowledge for the inspiring wisdom of nature…removed from the throng, the scholar-gipsy is a lone and reserved figure whose presence, significantly, is only noticed by the young and innocent” (411). In this class, we have attempted to reconnect with the feelings of being “young and innocent” by realizing and noticing the magnificence that Jones saw in Waller Creek.

In this class, we have also asked ourselves, “Where am I going?” The image of the lone tree “located on a hill overlooking the city…the path leading up to it involves effort and struggle…it can be approached from different directions” immediately reminded me of this search for inner-truth (412). Like the truth or self-reflection, the tree provides a different perspective when looking at the world. Once we know where we are going, the world looks different than it did before we found our greater purpose. We can approach this knowledge in different ways, through encounters with nature or through experiences with others, but eventually, with great effort and perseverance, we find our purpose.