“The gift of strawberries” by Robin Kimmerer sheds more light on our understanding of how generous the world is. Many people in the world sometimes forget how lucky they are, having nature that minds them without asking for favors. For instance, Kimmerer remembers how she grew up picking wild strawberries in her childhood, which helped instill the idea of how generous the world can be. She then compared this ideology with capitalism, where everything is considered a saleable commodity. Therefore, she reiterates that seeing something as a gift rather than a commodity is more vital than the latter. This is the main message presented by the short story: “a gift at times to you through no action of your own, and freely present goodies to you without your beckoning.” Comparing the message to my life experiences, nature has evolved over time, which calls for my appreciation of nature and the interconnectedness of living things.
Growing up in a suburban area in the city’s outcasts, my connectedness to nature was quite limited. Only small patches of grass in our backyard and the flowers in the terraces were accessible to me. In this regard, this calls for my reflection on my personal experiences in nature and how they might have changed over time as I grew older. Having such limited exposure to the nature, my situation ended up not allowing me to fully grasp and understand the importance of preserving the natural world as part and parcel of human and animal survival (Kimmerer, 23). Comparing and contrasting my life experience with nature to the detailing of the short story, I may have failed to apprehend the importance of living in reciprocity with nature. As I mentioned, growing up, I only had limited exposure to and knowledge of the importance of nature to human life. Nature has so many gifts that it freely provides to humans, like the strawberries described in the narrative. Such providences are not gifts we have earned, called to us, nor deserve in the first place (Kimmerer, 24). They are freely given to us without conditions or favors in return.
Unlike the reciprocity showcased by nature, I grew up in a widely capitalistic environment. This is where everything was designed to be a product meant for sale, and nothing was given out for free. Comparing this to the provision of the nature that surrounded my home, it is evident that nature never asked for monetary favor in return. Therefore, comparing my life with that of the author, she got to appreciate the kindness nature was designed to give to people. On the other hand, my life was subjected to the capitalistic dictation of the authority and the people, where monetary favors were expected in return at all times (Kimmerer, 27). Such are the discrepancies the people have created for themselves for their selfish and monetary gains, unlike what nature taught them.
As I grew older, I became more aware and apprehensive of the natural world and what it has to offer. This led to my desire to live according to the dictations of nature, which I believed was very crucial for the well-being of any living organism. I began to pay more attention to, listen to, and live in reciprocity with the environment (Kimmerer, 30). Consequently, I also started to appreciate the beauty of nature and think of ways that people need to adopt to treat nature as an important aspect of their lives. Additionally, I also was able to realize the kind of impact human actions have had on the environment. They may not realize the negative impact they continue to pose to nature, but they continue to revert to the idea of universal interconnected as was meant to be.
In conclusion, the author reiterates the importance of living in reciprocity with nature. This is in conjunction with how the indigenous ways of life were based on the understanding that everything in the natural world is interconnected. The author illustrates this aspect by showcasing the strawberries’ harvesting process, which was done with gratitude and respect for the plant. Comparing and contrasting the ideology to my personal life, the author’s sentiments toward my understanding of nature while growing up is quite different. How people appreciate the environment has over time change, due to the prevailing capitalistic circumstances and other factors. Consequently, life has tremendously changed as people have also changed their perception and view of nature. However, people must understand the reciprocity and interconnectedness the world was meant to function on.
Self-evaluation
Writing this essay helped me learn several things that are crucial in writing. Among them is the need for proper structuring, which arranges the points chronologically, helping the reader to flow and understand the main topic easily. Nonetheless, writing essays helps sharpen one’s writing skills, which could come in handy in future their endeavors. As the writer of this essay, I did not encounter any major challenges apart from difficulties in the search for the right information that attends to the question as articulated. However, I still have questions about whether I could respond to the question as required fully or whether I may have diverged away in some instances. One thing that arose as new to me was the overall requirement of the essay, which made it the first essay that required me to give my sentiments in comparison to another person’s thoughts and ideas. Finally, I would reward myself with 90% because I believe that I articulated the major points as needed, following the instructions as provided.
Works Cited
Kimmerer, Robin Wall. “The Gift of Strawberries.” Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge and the Teachings of Plants (2013): 22-32
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