I really enjoyed Professor Rizzo’s talk on futurism. It was thought provoking and at time disturbing to think about a world without nature run by machines. As someone that spends her summers leading canoeing trips in the Boundary Waters of Northern MN, I find it unsettling to think of a world without all that beauty I’ve experienced there. I understand the benefits of machines in progressing society and helping to eliminate things like disease and famine, but at the same time I think we are too reliant on technology. There is something beautiful about being able to pull out a map and a compass and navigating rather than trusting google maps to get the job done. Futurists think that nature is inherently bad because it kills you and machines are immortal. While immortality is a nice thought, as my favorite quote puts it, in nature “everything is stripped to its bare essence and we can be more authentically present and connected to the world.” It’s this bare essence and feeling of being present that I seek in my life. It’s why I choose to disconnect from the technological world for periods of time to immerse myself in the natural world. It feels like time slows down and I have time to do everything I need to do. I feel rushed in my daily experiences in the technological universe. I wonder if futurists like Marinetti would feel the same way in today’s world. I also wonder what futurists views would be now on wounds as beautiful thing or a bodily modification. With technology now that did not exist then like nuclear weapons, better guns, and bombs, war wounds can be far more devastating and traumatic then the wounds of the 1900’s. If Marinetti were still around I’d be curious if his futuristic views on nature and wounds have shifted.