In its own way, the postscript to your newsletter reinforces angst for the future.
Inherently, we all know what is at stake. And yet, show me one politician globally who is prepared to lay EVERYTHING on the line to allow this planet (and us) to breathe.
Outside my window, it is bucketing down thanks to a weather system entirely reinforced by climate change (La Nina married with the Indian Ocean Dipole). And whilst pollies run round saying they're diverting funds to help flooded communities and flooded foodbowls in Australia, it's too little and at best temporary.
I think TBH, that we the living community who love our environments really need to heavy-up. It's not about labels, it's truly about action - even in our own little communities and backyards. Every day we need to throw seeds around, plant trees - whatever it takes, remembering all the time that from little things, big things grow.
You're so right, Prue. One of the key themes that emerged from that same book launch was the idea that we must all of us be (or become) activists, in whatever ways we can. Those in power have proven time and time again that they can't be trusted to do right by the planet, so we should stop expecting them to suddenly do so. Planting and growing can only ever be positive acts - and as it happens they are political ones too!
Contrary to popular sociopolitical trends, dualism is not inherently evil. If you haven’t read it, you might find Eliade’s “The Sacred and the Profane’ interesting.
Thanks for the tip – I'll certainly check it out. You're absolutely right, of course: dualism isn't inherently evil. And obviously even an anti-dualism position is in itself sort of a dualistic one. But that's an ontological exploration for another day!
Still, I do believe that when it comes to plants and nature and the way that we think about their place in this world in relation to our own, we could do with being a lot more inclusive.
"we believe that what happens to nature is fundamentally external to the concerns of humanity". I need to think more about this but it may be an example of rather flawed thinking. I think that nature is indifferent (I know this is personalising, so should be reframed) to the concerns of humanity and that that is binary thinking worth checking out? (concerns of nature v concerns of humanity, nature being anything organic which is not people).
We are about as significant as a rough asteroid, which, after all, may have us helped us blossom while destroying much else.
Nature in all its infinite variety will suffer and thrive with or without us - maybe better without the bit of nature which is us. All the fantasies about our power in this regard are a form of grandiosity. Makes for lots of journalism and book making though....
You raise some interesting points, Anne. Not least the resilience of nature and the fact of humanity being a broadly insignificant blip in the vast timeline of the universe. But I still think that for the short time that each of us is here on Earth, and the slightly longer but still short time that our species inhabits this planet, we should learn to treat it with a bit more respect. Just as I'd hope that anyone who moved onto my street would treat their neighbours with kindness and respect – however long or short they intended to reside here – I hope that humans can be decent neighbours to the rest of life on Earth! And I think seeing ourselves as "part of" rather than "apart from" is a pretty good place to start.
Who really knows what being polite to all our billions of neighbours actually consists of? People currently approve of trees and destroy more effective carbon sinks like grassland to plant more of them.
And if I were a tree I would love to have more carbon dioxide (they are having a great time on the increased carbon dioxide but hey - we can't let them have that!)
We are pushing our own agenda, not that of the planet or necessarily anything else that we like to believe we are.
So beautiful! Yes! In all areas of human/Earth life this outdated mental construct is crumbling. I think celebrating our inherent connection and organic support of/with the “natural” world is the path to our vibrant future as a species - honoring ourselves and all life on the planet.
Thanks for the book rec! I’m excited to pick this up - it’s certainly a subject that I’ve been thinking a lot about recently!
Also, did you talk to Arit Anderson after? Joke together over a glass of wine? Create a secret handshake together? Or are you saving that for another post?
You know what, we did not have a heart to heart on that occasion. But I believe that sort of wine-glass-in-hand hobnobbing is what the GMG Awards are all about!
If you've not read it already, I would recommend adding this title to your reading list The Rambunction Garden, by Emma Marris: https://amzn.to/3Dkd79m Despite the title, the book is less about gardening than the realization that--deliberately setting aside areas of "wilderness" and doing everything in our power to avoid change--is itself a form of gardening. Marris is a brilliant writer, and she believes any self-ordered collection of organisms should properly be viewed as "wild".
Thanks so much for the kind words Larry! And thank you also for the recommendation – though I'm not sure my overburdened desk is going to be able to cope with the weight of all these unread books!
I am in a group that has been discussing a book called A Course in Miracles and one of the main points is that it is the illusion of separation that causes suffering - that we are separate from Source, that we are separate from nature, and that we are separate from each other. One of it's messages is to move past thinking in duality. And politics in the US, like in the UK, has become very toxic and negative with an "us vs them" mentality.
As the parent of a toddler, I know all about separation anxiety, and the upset that can come as a result! It makes total sense that this would carry on in us as adults, albeit in more complex ways. Thanks for the thoughtful comment!
In its own way, the postscript to your newsletter reinforces angst for the future.
Inherently, we all know what is at stake. And yet, show me one politician globally who is prepared to lay EVERYTHING on the line to allow this planet (and us) to breathe.
Outside my window, it is bucketing down thanks to a weather system entirely reinforced by climate change (La Nina married with the Indian Ocean Dipole). And whilst pollies run round saying they're diverting funds to help flooded communities and flooded foodbowls in Australia, it's too little and at best temporary.
I think TBH, that we the living community who love our environments really need to heavy-up. It's not about labels, it's truly about action - even in our own little communities and backyards. Every day we need to throw seeds around, plant trees - whatever it takes, remembering all the time that from little things, big things grow.
You're so right, Prue. One of the key themes that emerged from that same book launch was the idea that we must all of us be (or become) activists, in whatever ways we can. Those in power have proven time and time again that they can't be trusted to do right by the planet, so we should stop expecting them to suddenly do so. Planting and growing can only ever be positive acts - and as it happens they are political ones too!
Contrary to popular sociopolitical trends, dualism is not inherently evil. If you haven’t read it, you might find Eliade’s “The Sacred and the Profane’ interesting.
Thanks for the tip – I'll certainly check it out. You're absolutely right, of course: dualism isn't inherently evil. And obviously even an anti-dualism position is in itself sort of a dualistic one. But that's an ontological exploration for another day!
Still, I do believe that when it comes to plants and nature and the way that we think about their place in this world in relation to our own, we could do with being a lot more inclusive.
Agreed! The greener we can keep our world the better for all. :-)
"we believe that what happens to nature is fundamentally external to the concerns of humanity". I need to think more about this but it may be an example of rather flawed thinking. I think that nature is indifferent (I know this is personalising, so should be reframed) to the concerns of humanity and that that is binary thinking worth checking out? (concerns of nature v concerns of humanity, nature being anything organic which is not people).
We are about as significant as a rough asteroid, which, after all, may have us helped us blossom while destroying much else.
Nature in all its infinite variety will suffer and thrive with or without us - maybe better without the bit of nature which is us. All the fantasies about our power in this regard are a form of grandiosity. Makes for lots of journalism and book making though....
Let me know the flaw in my logic? Xxx
You raise some interesting points, Anne. Not least the resilience of nature and the fact of humanity being a broadly insignificant blip in the vast timeline of the universe. But I still think that for the short time that each of us is here on Earth, and the slightly longer but still short time that our species inhabits this planet, we should learn to treat it with a bit more respect. Just as I'd hope that anyone who moved onto my street would treat their neighbours with kindness and respect – however long or short they intended to reside here – I hope that humans can be decent neighbours to the rest of life on Earth! And I think seeing ourselves as "part of" rather than "apart from" is a pretty good place to start.
Who really knows what being polite to all our billions of neighbours actually consists of? People currently approve of trees and destroy more effective carbon sinks like grassland to plant more of them.
And if I were a tree I would love to have more carbon dioxide (they are having a great time on the increased carbon dioxide but hey - we can't let them have that!)
We are pushing our own agenda, not that of the planet or necessarily anything else that we like to believe we are.
So beautiful! Yes! In all areas of human/Earth life this outdated mental construct is crumbling. I think celebrating our inherent connection and organic support of/with the “natural” world is the path to our vibrant future as a species - honoring ourselves and all life on the planet.
I agree - thanks for the kind and thoughtful comment!
Thanks for the book rec! I’m excited to pick this up - it’s certainly a subject that I’ve been thinking a lot about recently!
Also, did you talk to Arit Anderson after? Joke together over a glass of wine? Create a secret handshake together? Or are you saving that for another post?
You know what, we did not have a heart to heart on that occasion. But I believe that sort of wine-glass-in-hand hobnobbing is what the GMG Awards are all about!
The is a beautifully written piece, Dan. Love how this discussion marries increasingly unhelpful concepts in conservation with the "binary fallacy" (which--I promise you--is a difficult one for many to overcome!): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/False_dilemma#:~:text=A%20false%20dilemma%2C%20also%20referred,but%20in%20a%20false%20premise.
If you've not read it already, I would recommend adding this title to your reading list The Rambunction Garden, by Emma Marris: https://amzn.to/3Dkd79m Despite the title, the book is less about gardening than the realization that--deliberately setting aside areas of "wilderness" and doing everything in our power to avoid change--is itself a form of gardening. Marris is a brilliant writer, and she believes any self-ordered collection of organisms should properly be viewed as "wild".
All that to say...GREAT post!
Thanks so much for the kind words Larry! And thank you also for the recommendation – though I'm not sure my overburdened desk is going to be able to cope with the weight of all these unread books!
I am in a group that has been discussing a book called A Course in Miracles and one of the main points is that it is the illusion of separation that causes suffering - that we are separate from Source, that we are separate from nature, and that we are separate from each other. One of it's messages is to move past thinking in duality. And politics in the US, like in the UK, has become very toxic and negative with an "us vs them" mentality.
As the parent of a toddler, I know all about separation anxiety, and the upset that can come as a result! It makes total sense that this would carry on in us as adults, albeit in more complex ways. Thanks for the thoughtful comment!
(You now know - see below- why I don't get invited to these events, which is also a form of binary thinking.)