Blush petals adorn the concrete sidewalks and frame the Boston skyline. The air is crowded with sweet fragrance, masking the industrial stench of the T. For the first time this semester, I can feel the sun’s rays warming my skin and marvel at the red and yellow tulips blooming all around South Campus. I find myself thankful for this little bit of wild amidst human invention; peace amongst the chaos of finals season, internship hunting, maybe even capitalist hunger. As variegated ivy leaves begin to poke through dry branches, crawl up barren brick walls, and dot my brownstone with some much-needed green, a theme in Montaigne’s famous essay “Of Cannibals” comes to mind: even our “utmost endeavors cannot arrive at so much as to imitate the nest of the least of birds, its contexture, beauty, and convenience.” According to this logic, even the finest of man’s creation cannot rival the beauty and perfection of nature. Continue reading