Since I was young, I've mostly referred to living things (including humans) as "they". More for sake of ease than anything else. But it seems to have been an accidentally canny move.
Thank you so much for sharing these thoughtful and important words, Jason.
You ask: Who are we? What are we doing? What do we need to change? And I might add, is love enough to change what needs to be changed? Yes, but it is the work of many. So I celebrate you for inspiring more people to take up the work of healing the earth, through love of nature.
That's very kind of you, Diane. And yes, love that inspires work. Is it enough? Certainly not to prevent the tragedy that's already unfolded and will continue to unfold for some time, but there's still so much that can be avoided if all goes well.
This article spoke to me, Jason. I have long used personal prounouns for non-human animals and I might extend it to other living things. Doing this, I found, makes us more connected to the natural world. Biophilia is a healthy response to us humans; we ought to love what sustains us.
And I am not being sentimental. I liked the notebook feel of your wife's work; there is a feeling of life within the pages. Please convey this to her.
Thank you, Perry. I'll pass on your kind comment to Heather. And yes, I like your assertion that biophilia is a measure of good health, personal and social.
Jason, thank you. We need you, Heather, Robin, and Mr. Wilson.
Reading your thoughts on ‘place’ brings Janisse Ray’s Trackless Wild to mind. I commended both you and Janisse to Chris Best when he asked what he should do next with his Substack. I hope he follows up. Your work merits more attention.🌱🌿
Thanks as always for your support, Katharine. I am at a point where I'm wondering how to build the audience, but I'm busy enough with life that I'm resting with the question more than acting toward an answer.
Know that you are none less brilliant, capable and righteous, no matter the size of the audience. I do understand the sentiment though. Thank you so much for your efforts. They are very well done and appreciated. Peace
You’re welcome, Jason. I mean those words with all sincerity. Obviously I don’t know you personally. What I do know is you are forthright, and a person of character. I assert you’re a good man. Where I’m from, there’s no higher praise.
I love (ha! but I do) seeing how widely Robin Wall Kimmerer inspires. And to add to these thoughts, Carl Jung said that the opposite of love is not hate, but power, and that there is love, there is no will to power; and where there is power, there cannot be love.
Thank you, this is moving and inspiring. I love the concept of magic wells everywhere! It seems counter-intuitive to love more rather than less that which we are afraid of losing, but I believe it is true, and is the only thing that will move us to take action instead of giving up before we are even defeated.
Exactly, Carmine. Looking around at the folks we admire most, loving more seems to be the strategy that makes them so admirable... It is hard, though, when there's so much grief, anger, and distraction (particularly in this political cycle).
'Remember the childhood forest or family farm evaporated by heedless development? Is our attachment and subsequent suffering merely personal?' - I have often wondered if this is the driving force behind many people's work to save and restore habitat - if an understanding of the interconnectedness of life in a small piece of land and experiencing its loss shapes thinking in ways that go very deep.
Brilliant essay, Jason, one of your very best it strikes me. The garden of a thousand bees, the magic well, biophilia, topophilia-. This is a roadmap to a new orientation or better said, a return to an ancient orientation woven into our very DNA. The sacredness of life and place and our own selves. But just as love drives out fear, so too can greed push aside love and greed is very ancient too. It too is woven into our DNA. It is our great master and foe- the driver of our numbers, the creator of the smokestacks. our sometime ally and perpetual risk. I live in Oregon. In the Pyrocene-where this year alone 900,000 acres of our state have gone up in smoke, areote miles burning yet, and the winter rains are far away.
The garden of a thousand bees is wreathed in encroaching flames.
It is brilliant, Juliet. Heather loved it, and it's changed the direction of her life. She's always been a teacher, and now she's connected her love of nature with a love for teaching. And yes, I've also thought that there should be large active similar programs everywhere. (And for that matter, wildlife rehab centers should be common and publicly funded.) Thanks for chiming in here.
Since I was young, I've mostly referred to living things (including humans) as "they". More for sake of ease than anything else. But it seems to have been an accidentally canny move.
Thank you so much for sharing these thoughtful and important words, Jason.
You were ahead of the empathy curve, Martin... Thanks very much for the kind words.
You ask: Who are we? What are we doing? What do we need to change? And I might add, is love enough to change what needs to be changed? Yes, but it is the work of many. So I celebrate you for inspiring more people to take up the work of healing the earth, through love of nature.
That's very kind of you, Diane. And yes, love that inspires work. Is it enough? Certainly not to prevent the tragedy that's already unfolded and will continue to unfold for some time, but there's still so much that can be avoided if all goes well.
This article spoke to me, Jason. I have long used personal prounouns for non-human animals and I might extend it to other living things. Doing this, I found, makes us more connected to the natural world. Biophilia is a healthy response to us humans; we ought to love what sustains us.
And I am not being sentimental. I liked the notebook feel of your wife's work; there is a feeling of life within the pages. Please convey this to her.
Thank you, Perry. I'll pass on your kind comment to Heather. And yes, I like your assertion that biophilia is a measure of good health, personal and social.
Jason, thank you. We need you, Heather, Robin, and Mr. Wilson.
Reading your thoughts on ‘place’ brings Janisse Ray’s Trackless Wild to mind. I commended both you and Janisse to Chris Best when he asked what he should do next with his Substack. I hope he follows up. Your work merits more attention.🌱🌿
Thanks as always for your support, Katharine. I am at a point where I'm wondering how to build the audience, but I'm busy enough with life that I'm resting with the question more than acting toward an answer.
Know that you are none less brilliant, capable and righteous, no matter the size of the audience. I do understand the sentiment though. Thank you so much for your efforts. They are very well done and appreciated. Peace
Thank you, Hudson. Really appreciate it.
You’re welcome, Jason. I mean those words with all sincerity. Obviously I don’t know you personally. What I do know is you are forthright, and a person of character. I assert you’re a good man. Where I’m from, there’s no higher praise.
I love (ha! but I do) seeing how widely Robin Wall Kimmerer inspires. And to add to these thoughts, Carl Jung said that the opposite of love is not hate, but power, and that there is love, there is no will to power; and where there is power, there cannot be love.
That's excellent, Nia, thanks. I suppose we have to define power specifically here, leaving aside the power that resides in love...
Good reminder! I think he meant the domineering “power-over” kind but it would be nice to have a different word.
Hear!Hear!!!
There are no “less important” strands in the web of life .
Thank you, this is moving and inspiring. I love the concept of magic wells everywhere! It seems counter-intuitive to love more rather than less that which we are afraid of losing, but I believe it is true, and is the only thing that will move us to take action instead of giving up before we are even defeated.
Exactly, Carmine. Looking around at the folks we admire most, loving more seems to be the strategy that makes them so admirable... It is hard, though, when there's so much grief, anger, and distraction (particularly in this political cycle).
This is so good! I love the way you write and the sentiments you share. Our essays this week are very similar. Synchronicity must be at work.
Well, I'm in very good company then, Bill. Looking forward to reading your essay. Thank you, as always.
'Remember the childhood forest or family farm evaporated by heedless development? Is our attachment and subsequent suffering merely personal?' - I have often wondered if this is the driving force behind many people's work to save and restore habitat - if an understanding of the interconnectedness of life in a small piece of land and experiencing its loss shapes thinking in ways that go very deep.
It makes sense, doesn't it? Culture and psychology rest atop such deep evolutionary roots. Thank you for the comment, Marian.
Brilliant essay, Jason, one of your very best it strikes me. The garden of a thousand bees, the magic well, biophilia, topophilia-. This is a roadmap to a new orientation or better said, a return to an ancient orientation woven into our very DNA. The sacredness of life and place and our own selves. But just as love drives out fear, so too can greed push aside love and greed is very ancient too. It too is woven into our DNA. It is our great master and foe- the driver of our numbers, the creator of the smokestacks. our sometime ally and perpetual risk. I live in Oregon. In the Pyrocene-where this year alone 900,000 acres of our state have gone up in smoke, areote miles burning yet, and the winter rains are far away.
The garden of a thousand bees is wreathed in encroaching flames.
Thank you very much, Michael. There's so much to love and so much to grieve. Your last line here is poetry.
Excellent essay, thanks. The Maine Master Naturalist Programme looks brilliant, it would be great to have such programmes everywhere.
It looks like 21 states have master naturalist programs, maybe yours is one of them. List here: https://www.excelevents.org/articles/master-naturalist-program
Thanks Carmine, but I'm in the UK!
Haha, my bad.
You weren't to know, though!
It is brilliant, Juliet. Heather loved it, and it's changed the direction of her life. She's always been a teacher, and now she's connected her love of nature with a love for teaching. And yes, I've also thought that there should be large active similar programs everywhere. (And for that matter, wildlife rehab centers should be common and publicly funded.) Thanks for chiming in here.
Heather’s journals are awe-inspiring. Please thank her🌱
I will, Katharine. That's kind of you to say.