Think of the wonder of being able to live on dreams, of being able to do what more than all else in the world you have wanted to do. Think of the wonder of knowing that you have found yourself.
Journal, January 14, 1930
We live in a finite world. Theres
only so much oil, only so much gas, only so much coal. And theres
only so much time. In a century likely to be defined by limits,
redirecting our seemingly infinite desires is the major challenge. If
we succeed, it will be because during this century we took seriously
the spiritual journey, and listened again to ancient wisdomnot
out of fear, not out of superstition, but out of understanding,
desire, and joy. Inspired by Sigurd Olson, Thomas Merton, and others,
I created the New Wood blog in 2010. Click
here or on the above
photo to get to it.
Click on the above image to get to filmmaker Peter Olsen's blog about his forthcoming documentary on Sigurd Olson.
Each month you'll find something new herean unpublished
speech of Olson's for example, or some correspondence. I'll keep
each new piece on this page for two months, then remove it or, in
some cases, move it to a different portion of this web site. You'll
also find here the current month's edition of "This Month in
Olson History."
A picture may be worth a thousand words, but here you'll get a
picture and a thousand words. This short essay covers the
key facts and highlights of Olson's life.
An in-depth analysis of Olson's spiritual journey and his
conclusions about the meaning of wilderness. It was published in the
April 1995 issue of Forest & Conservation History.
Get the complete text of previously unpublished speeches,
letters and other documents here, past editions of "This Month
in Olson History," and a complete bibliography of published
works by and about Olson.
The Listening Point Foundation was founded in 1998 not only to
preserve and protect "Listening Point," the rugged and
beautiful northern Minnesota lakeshore property that served as a
getaway place for Sigurd F. Olson, but also to promote Sigurd's
philosophy and build upon his legacy in the field of
wilderness education. This portion of the Sigurd F. Olson Web Site
will include articles and speeches about wilderness, about Sigurd
Olson, about Listening Point, and news about the Foundation and its
efforts.
Do you have a personal memory about Sigurd Olson or about how
his writings have affected you? This page contains such personal
anecdotes and reflections; read them, and submit your own for
possible inclusion.
Goals for this site, and a little about its creator.
See also the sites below:
Comments or suggestions are welcome. Please
email me: David Backes,
Department of Journalism, Advertising and Media Studies, University of
Wisconsin-Milwaukee.
Last updated: May 1, 2013
This site was established on May 11, 1997