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The essay “Hidden Lessons” by David Suzuki states his belief that urban people have “lost any sense of connection with nature.” His thesis “For, inherent in this view is the assumption that human beings are special and different and that we lie outside nature.” Throughout the essay David talks about it “being this belief that is creating many of our environmental problems today” He supports his ideas through facts, personal anecdotes, and by all the research and history he is knowledgeable about. Suzuki leaves the reader with a positive message instilling a romance for change.

In David’s essay he tells us personal stories about his children and their friends, in an attempt to show us the difference between urban and rural kids in regards to nature. “The urban message kids get run completely counter to the natural interest in other life forms” they were born with. All people are born with the natural instinct to interact with other creatures, but the rural kids learn to be disgusted by bugs or certain animals, such as mice or snakes, by how they see their parents react. David tells a story of his 7year old daughter “When [she] brings home new friends they invariably recoil in fear or disgust when she tries to show them her… pet salamanders.” He says the opposite responses or his daughter and the friends are likely caused by the way the children were raised. David then tells us another story about his other daughter. “When [she] comes wandering in with her treasures. –Millipedes, spiders, slugs, and sow bugs… Children and adults alike usually respond by saying ‘yuk.’” This is because when someone the child looks up to is disturbed by something the child will almost always learn to respond in the same way. David obviously encourages his children to interact with creatures, so they don’t see any reason to be appalled or afraid. This is much like a rural child who would grow up with parents who are accepting to creatures, and adapt the same way....