The ants Geiser recently observed under a dripping fir tree are not concerned with what anyone might know about them; nor were the dinosaurs, which died out before a human being set eyes on them. All the papers, whether on the wall or on the carpet, can go. Who cares about the Holocene? Nature needs no names. Geiser knows that. The rocks do not need his memory.
In Max Frisch’s "Man in the Holocene," the author reflects on the indifference of nature to human knowledge and history. He emphasizes that the ants observed by Geiser under a fir tree and the ancient dinosaurs existed without concern for human perception or understanding. This suggests a natural world that operates independently of human classifications or timelines.
Frisch illustrates that the remnants of human documentation and historical awareness, such as papers scattered around, hold little significance in the grand scope of nature. The rocks and the natural elements exist without a need for human memory or recognition, highlighting a serene detachment of the environment from the complexities of human existence.
