Capturing the Human Spirit- Laurel Cunningham
Everybody runs to the mailbox for something. Dads for Sports Illustrated, Moms for NFocus Nashville, and girls our age for Teen Vogue. And in my many years of getting the mail, the only magazine I ever sought was National Geographic.
My heart skips a beat when I spot the bright yellow border of a National Geographic magazine in a stack of mail. It all started with Christmas present from my Grandmother when I was about 6 – a year-long subscription to NatGeo Kids. I loved NatGeo Kids and was fascinated by the insects and wildlife featured in the magazine, but one can only read so many articles about “super-slimy tree frogs!!” – So, to quell my objections of the recycled material, I was upgraded to the real-deal: National Geographic. Hopefully through this speech I can offer you some insight into the history of National Geographic and how it has impacted my life.
The National Geographic Magazine is a product of the National Geographic Society, which was founded in 1888. The Society began on January 13, 1888 when 33 explorers and scientists met in Washington DC to organize the society. The first publication of the National Geographic Magazine was published in October 1888 as a dense, very specific scientific journal. The mission of the National Geographic Society today “is to inspire people to care about the planet.” The Society has expanded its mission from the one created in 1888 as today it encourages conservation of natural resources, promotes public awareness of natural places, the plants, wildlife, and people that inhabit them and the environmental concerns that threaten them.
Some of National Geographic’s core values are on adventure and exploration. You can often find me watching a documentary about our solar system or the universe at large. My personal favorite television series is National Geographic’s Cosmos: A Spacetime Odyssey narrated by Neil deGrasse Tyson. National Geographic’s articles titled “Is Anybody Out There? Life beyond Earth” and “The Truth About Black Holes” have also peaked my interest in the stars. I would like to thank my friend Kate Griffin for intercepting all my late night text messages where I usually relay a message gushing about my interest in the cosmic calendar or a picture of a supernova. She usually replies with a thoughtful, “oh yeah that’s cool Laurel…will you go to bed now?”
Anyone who knows me has also heard me gush about my love for people and cultures. No doubt this interest was sparked by National Geographic. One of my favorite National Geographic issues to date is the publication from January 2014 – the title reads “Defenders of the Amazon: Taking on the Modern World. And Winning” with the cover photo of a young child covered in decorative face paint. I have always been interested in the nature of human beings and how we function differently in our own societies but are cohesively one species. Some of my other favorite articles about humans are titled: “This Baby Will Live to be 120 Years Old” and “The Other Humans: Neanderthals Revealed”.
Lastly, National Geographic has inspired my love for nature and animals. It was always easy to dismiss environmental concerns because I did not know that much about them. But, National Geographic changed my position – I now encourage National Geographic’s mission of stewardship of the planet. Some of my favorite articles about this topic have been “Greenland: Ground Zero for Global Warming” and “Above Yosemite – Like Never Before”. As mentioned, National Geographic has also inspired my love for animals and yes, bugs too. I used to strictly be a “dog-person”, but National Geographic has changed my mind about exotic big cats, bluefin tuna, and even little spiders.
National Geographic has managed to capture the human spirit by exploring our cultural differences, our scientific composition, and our continual pursuit to learn more about the world around us. It has inspired me to love to learn and not be ashamed to question. Everyone should try to find something – whether it be a magazine, a person, or a youtube series – that inspires them and causes them to think twice about where their true passions lie. Christopher McCandless once captured the true essence of National Geographic when he wrote, “The very basic core of a man’s living spirit is his passion for adventure.”