Wendell Berry whispered in my ear as I read your marvelous essay: "There are no unsacred places. There are only sacred places and desecrated places." This is exactly what I've been up to for a while now -- however humbly. Modern humans need a new story -- to return to the one we used to know for millennia -- that we are a tiny part of the vast web of life, not the pinnacle, not the purpose. Simply, always, one of many. Our job is to notice and celebrate.
Though I love the idea of cultivating "societal-scale reverence," I tried that for a couple decades and found that I do better on a less ambitious scale: myself, my family, friends, students, writing, creative projects. I have to trust that the ripples are going out.
"As Daniel Quinn writes in Ishmael, we need an everyday understanding that the world does not belong to us, and sufficient modesty to recognize that we belong to the world." This is such an important call to reverence--that it requires humility. I love that you write about this and are exploring it in depth--it's maddening how the industrial capitalist machine renders lands into resources, how the need for power over runs through all of the individualism and capitalism that we are so steeped in. Grateful to find your work writing about this. 💜
Beautifully stated! We won't care or save what we don't know. I've spent the last 35 or so years growing native plants and observing them both in my garden and in nature. I share that love through my photography and AV presentations.
Well said, Jason. You're absolutely right, and I think those of us who treasure the natural world already think of it as sacred. But there are two points you missed. First, preserving the natural world doesn't just make things better, it's absolutely essential for our survival. We are currently on track to making Earth incapable of supporting human life -- or at the very least, human civilization. Second, the only way this is ever going to change is if we break the stranglehold corporations have on government. It should be obvious by now that neither people nor their governments are in charge. It looks like governments are in charge, especially when they are in conflict with one another, but under it all the captains of industry are calling the shots. It's that old adage: follow the money. As long as corporations control the money -- and they do -- they'll continue to buy politicians and defile the planet, somehow not realizing that they are sowing the seeds of their own destruction. Unfortunately, by the time that happens, it'll be too late for everyone else. Only by getting rid of corporate personhood and stopping all corporate campaign contributions and lavish gift giving by lobbyists will we have a chance of turning this around. Otherwise, multinational and national corporations will continue to ravage the planet in the quest for more money.
Jason, this one is a keeper. I do hope you will expand and write more about indigenous practices and beliefs... our family has a 115 acre farm close by- our daughter is the current tenant. She’s been working on removing invasive plants, getting grants for riparian work and just has decided to rewild one of the fields. Truly a back to nature move. No mow is her goal- that and planting a few Chestnut trees🙏 my best always..
Wendell Berry whispered in my ear as I read your marvelous essay: "There are no unsacred places. There are only sacred places and desecrated places." This is exactly what I've been up to for a while now -- however humbly. Modern humans need a new story -- to return to the one we used to know for millennia -- that we are a tiny part of the vast web of life, not the pinnacle, not the purpose. Simply, always, one of many. Our job is to notice and celebrate.
Though I love the idea of cultivating "societal-scale reverence," I tried that for a couple decades and found that I do better on a less ambitious scale: myself, my family, friends, students, writing, creative projects. I have to trust that the ripples are going out.
"As Daniel Quinn writes in Ishmael, we need an everyday understanding that the world does not belong to us, and sufficient modesty to recognize that we belong to the world." This is such an important call to reverence--that it requires humility. I love that you write about this and are exploring it in depth--it's maddening how the industrial capitalist machine renders lands into resources, how the need for power over runs through all of the individualism and capitalism that we are so steeped in. Grateful to find your work writing about this. 💜
Beautifully stated! We won't care or save what we don't know. I've spent the last 35 or so years growing native plants and observing them both in my garden and in nature. I share that love through my photography and AV presentations.
Well said, Jason. You're absolutely right, and I think those of us who treasure the natural world already think of it as sacred. But there are two points you missed. First, preserving the natural world doesn't just make things better, it's absolutely essential for our survival. We are currently on track to making Earth incapable of supporting human life -- or at the very least, human civilization. Second, the only way this is ever going to change is if we break the stranglehold corporations have on government. It should be obvious by now that neither people nor their governments are in charge. It looks like governments are in charge, especially when they are in conflict with one another, but under it all the captains of industry are calling the shots. It's that old adage: follow the money. As long as corporations control the money -- and they do -- they'll continue to buy politicians and defile the planet, somehow not realizing that they are sowing the seeds of their own destruction. Unfortunately, by the time that happens, it'll be too late for everyone else. Only by getting rid of corporate personhood and stopping all corporate campaign contributions and lavish gift giving by lobbyists will we have a chance of turning this around. Otherwise, multinational and national corporations will continue to ravage the planet in the quest for more money.
Jason, this one is a keeper. I do hope you will expand and write more about indigenous practices and beliefs... our family has a 115 acre farm close by- our daughter is the current tenant. She’s been working on removing invasive plants, getting grants for riparian work and just has decided to rewild one of the fields. Truly a back to nature move. No mow is her goal- that and planting a few Chestnut trees🙏 my best always..