Thanks for this lovely piece. Though it was written earlier it is as relevant as ever.
"Species loneliness" is a difficult term for me, particularly because of the word "species," which has an antiseptic quality. I don't think we are lonely for "species" but animals, for fur and feather and song and the company of living profusion. That, as you say, is a feeling held in the whole body, and thus not as easily defined as it is felt. And as you mention, it is terrifying to see how easily the screen and algorithm slide in to fill the void.
I also appreciate the doubt you express about whether such writing does any good. I think we all struggle with that, and all arrive at the same basic conclusion, that it's not really a choice. To illuminate the non-human for the humans is both a responsibility and a bodily need. We just have to do it regardless of what the logical mind might calculate regarding the chances for success. It's part of being alive in this age.
Your writings, and reference to such guiding lights as Emerson, Lopez and Kimmerer help. And that quote by Amitav Ghosh, perfect.
Thank you for expressing what I often feel on my walks in nature. Even as I feel my connectedness to everything, there is that part of me that is inexpressibly sad when birds and animals flee at my approach. My hope and faith in the ultimate triumph of love remain strong; sadness is part of the journey.
Life is tenacious, flourishing and extravagant as it battles against the hostile void of cold space, radiation and our own wild efforts to destroy it and will persist here long after we are gone, even though many species we recognize will be gone. To understand through words is good but at a deep level try music. I recommend John Adams's The Dharma at Big Sur, especially part II, Sri Moonshine. This is the music that came to my mind reading this essay on species loneliness
I can’t help but think that speaking of species Loss in this context is still putting the human at the centre of the universe. When I think species loss I feel for the trees and plants transported to be lonely examples in a park without their families , The animal sin our zoos, there for humans to gawk at, the pets we have locked in our homes who would be happier in their packs and forests , the animals and fish we eat who we have enslaved in protein factories without dignified lives. ( I still eat meat but try to find ethically sources meat and fish where I can )
And as an adopted person , who has also lost my only child to forced adoption , I’ve lost my tribe, my pack, putting me with other humans does not make up for that loss of family , but my dna remembers the forrest and seascapes of my genetic home and feels content there, unlike the lands I was brought to.
Thanks for this lovely piece. Though it was written earlier it is as relevant as ever.
"Species loneliness" is a difficult term for me, particularly because of the word "species," which has an antiseptic quality. I don't think we are lonely for "species" but animals, for fur and feather and song and the company of living profusion. That, as you say, is a feeling held in the whole body, and thus not as easily defined as it is felt. And as you mention, it is terrifying to see how easily the screen and algorithm slide in to fill the void.
I also appreciate the doubt you express about whether such writing does any good. I think we all struggle with that, and all arrive at the same basic conclusion, that it's not really a choice. To illuminate the non-human for the humans is both a responsibility and a bodily need. We just have to do it regardless of what the logical mind might calculate regarding the chances for success. It's part of being alive in this age.
Your writings, and reference to such guiding lights as Emerson, Lopez and Kimmerer help. And that quote by Amitav Ghosh, perfect.
Thank you for expressing what I often feel on my walks in nature. Even as I feel my connectedness to everything, there is that part of me that is inexpressibly sad when birds and animals flee at my approach. My hope and faith in the ultimate triumph of love remain strong; sadness is part of the journey.
Thank you for the work you do. Peace.
This is really such a marvelous message. I was just writing on this myself. Thanks for putting it out there.
Life is tenacious, flourishing and extravagant as it battles against the hostile void of cold space, radiation and our own wild efforts to destroy it and will persist here long after we are gone, even though many species we recognize will be gone. To understand through words is good but at a deep level try music. I recommend John Adams's The Dharma at Big Sur, especially part II, Sri Moonshine. This is the music that came to my mind reading this essay on species loneliness
I can’t help but think that speaking of species Loss in this context is still putting the human at the centre of the universe. When I think species loss I feel for the trees and plants transported to be lonely examples in a park without their families , The animal sin our zoos, there for humans to gawk at, the pets we have locked in our homes who would be happier in their packs and forests , the animals and fish we eat who we have enslaved in protein factories without dignified lives. ( I still eat meat but try to find ethically sources meat and fish where I can )
And as an adopted person , who has also lost my only child to forced adoption , I’ve lost my tribe, my pack, putting me with other humans does not make up for that loss of family , but my dna remembers the forrest and seascapes of my genetic home and feels content there, unlike the lands I was brought to.