the.com/wildness
The thing civilization keeps trying to pave over, and keeps growing through the cracks.
means The quality of being wild — untamed, uncultivated, free from human control, whether in nature, behavior, or spirit.
from From Old English 'wilde,' meaning untamed or uncultivated, shared across the Germanic languages (German 'wild,' Dutch 'wild'). The '-ness' suffix is the old English machine for turning an adjective into a state of being, so 'wildness' is simply 'the condition of being wild.' The deeper root is uncertain, but it may be related to a word for 'wood' or 'forest' — the untamed place beyond the cleared field, where things grew as they pleased.
thoreau's lineIn wildness is the preservation of the world.
not wildernessWildness is a quality, not a place.
in citiesPeregrine falcons nest on skyscrapers, hunting pigeons.
feral fastDomestic animals revert to wild within generations.
rewildingReintroduced wolves reshaped Yellowstone's rivers.