what geography really teaches you

WHAT GEOGRAPHY REALLY TEACHES YOU…

The REALLY important stuff you learn in Geography …

Geography teaches you about far more than you might think.

Yes, the subject matter is diverse – everything from tropical cyclones to volcanoes, from the dynamics of cities to population pyramids. But there’s also a lot more…

Geography gives you a unique perspective…

Firstly, Geography gives you a sense of scale – of how big (or small) YOU are compared to everything else.

To us, a kitten is small. To him – we’re huge.

Compared to the size of the mountains or the oceans, we’re tiny – and compared to the size of the galaxy, we’re all but insignificant.

This teaches us three things –

1: To be responsible and caring towards things that are smaller than us.

2: To be humble. We are really not that important compared to the beauty and power and size of the things around us.

3: Having a sense of scale teaches us to value our lives and to appreciate the wonders of the natural world. We may be small, but there’s nothing else like us for a long way.

appreciate the wonders of the natural world.

there’s nothing else like us.

The ‘Rare Earth’ theory states that life on Earth is the result of such a rare combination of circumstances that make it nearly impossible for life to exist elsewhere in the universe.

Perhaps this will teach us to appreciate and cherish our own world instead of looking for life on other worlds.

Perhaps most importantly, Geography gives you a sense of how everything fits together and is connected with everything else.

From a delicate eco-system to the workings of an economy (and everything in-between) – no one thing can be looked at without looking at the bigger picture.

All of us are a part of one gigantic whole and we are connected to all the parts of it.

connected

The whole Earth is like one huge living thing and everything that lives and interacts on her surface are essential parts of her life processes.

Like bees in a hive or all the bacteria in the human body –

it’s the little things that connect to make the big things work.

Another important theme that runs through

Geography is the idea of BALANCE.

Nature always tries to find a balance.

Wind equalises pressure, a river grades itself to find a balance and trees grow bigger to recycle carbon dioxide.

Everything in nature strives for harmony and equilibrium…

Shouldn’t we be striving for the same thing?

Geography teaches you new ways of looking and thinking.

Sometimes complicated things are easier to understand if you break them down into simpler parts…

and sometimes seemingly simple things can be wonderfully multi-faceted if you look at them closely enough.

Geographers constantly encounter things that have not yet fully been explored or understood.

We are honest about not knowing everything and so are able to change our minds when we discover new evidence.

Geography teaches you how to think better.

Many people look at the exception and from there create a rule: A few corrupt policemen and politicians, for example mean that all policemen and politicians are corrupt.

Geographers know that this is an error in logic.

The same with the beggar who scoffs when some-one gives him food or money. A Geographer knows this does not mean all destitute people are ungrateful.

In teaching you how to think, Geography also enables one to be less judgemental and more open-minded.

Geography gives you a sense of the awesome power of nature.

From the forces strong enough to push up the high Himalayas, to those that have carved out the Grand Canyon.

This also teaches us three things:

1: That our planet works in an awesome way. Respect!

2: Considering the time-scale that the Earth works on, it is the ultimate example of patience.

We could learn a little of that ourselves.

3: The Earth is big enough and strong enough to go on without human beings. In just a geological blink of an eye – all traces of us will be eroded away.

We need to be kinder to one another…

and to the other species that share our home.

We also look at the marvels of human society.

Surely a species that can create huge cities and intricate technology can pull together …not for their own profit but for the good of the rest of humanity and all other living things?

Geography also gives you a sense of how adaptable and yet fragile life is.

Life is everywhere on this planet – it is in the deepest parts of the ocean and in the driest deserts.

Yet it is also fragile – change one part of nature and it can have massive consequences.

The atmosphere, as an example, is slowly being heated up.

It will soon reach a critical point where it will have lasting effects on our breathable air, the make-up of our oceans, the growth of natural vegetation and the very conditions that have made life possible on the planet.

Thus…

In Geography we learn to live more responsibly and more gently.

2: We also learn that we need to develop a

broad and inclusive way of seeing that goes beyond simply what we want and includes

what’s best for everyone and everything else.

Geography teaches us to think better.

Geography teaches us to live better.

And finally…

Geography gives us a sense of the astounding beauty of the world.