Downsize-me

Touristy forestry and Facebook

I'm here again. A visit to Sherwood Forest yesterday has me thinking; my mind drifting around stuff like legend, history and change. The little bit of England that can still be called Sherwood Forest is a recreation area. The Forestry Commission have kindly provided huge car parks and nicely laid out pathways that enable you to wander about among the trees on foot or bike. There are facilities, playgrounds and a ‘Go Ape’ installation as well as an area of woodland holiday bungalows for rent. The pine trees stand tall and majestic compared with the young mixed woodland I described in my blog yesterday but the magic we felt at that little woodland was absent in this legendary Nottinghamshire forest. I half expected the Forestry staff to be dressed up as Robin Hood and his Merry Men (and woman), being that the place is so utterly urbanised and touristyfied. Big concerts are on the agenda for summer there, including UB40  (only for 40 year olds???)

Don't get me wrong. I have nothing against the creation of recreation areas that are accessible to all. The little Cotswold woodland is a private garden, accessible only by invitation. It's magical connection with the Rollright stones, the ancient hill path and surroundings is lovingly guarded by a wealthy couple and their artistic helpers. If they were to provide car parking, toilets, bins, wheelchair accessible pathways, signage, a cafe and a playground the magic would be destroyed, to my mind anyway. And why is that? 

Last night we listened to some of the US Congress questioning of Mark Zukerberg’s Facebook operation and its failure to protect personal data. Facebook is undeniably an amazing phenomenon along with the rest of social media in this Information Age. Its whole development seems like magic to me. And its magic isn't actually so different from that Neolithic magic I felt at Neolithic Echoes. The ancients gathered together just as we do now on Facebook and created big stony edifices for the purpose. Today we commune with people in cyberspace and our stony edifices are the huge computer data banks in different places around the world. The big questions posed by the Facebook phenomenon, apparently, are whether, how and what to regulate. Clearly there have been some dubious goings on, but one thing is for sure - the imposition of regulation that will make it safe for law abiding users will kill its magic. The ancient, scary, dangerous Sherwood Forest that was home to peasants, wanderers, outcasts, minstrels and vagabonds as well as free thinkers and social reformers has been cut down to a tameable size and made safe. Facebook looks like going the same way.

What a conundrum. I like being safe but I don't want the magic of Wild to disappear. I'm no pioneer like those who braved the oceans trusting that they wouldn't fall off the edge of the world, or our astronauts, or our inventors who have pushed the boundaries of the world for the rest of us to move forward in. But, I don't want to live in a world so regulated and safe that no wild places or spaces remain, physical, intellectual or spiritual.

So that was my little thought for today. I'll now get on with my safe little life and make some tea.