I posted some of my thoughts about this discussion topic on my own blog, but for those of you who don't have time to read through all that, here are my initial thoughts:
Our SL journal lead question this week was whether or not the exercises with Doug Mosel gave any insights or tools that could be put into practice with the service placements. I gave this some thought while I was potting up, and I realized that Doug's exercises and Joanna Macy's philosophies provide many insights and tools for me to use, not just at the Noyo Food Forest, but in everyday life. The listening technique is especially helpful to me for when I interact with others. I do hope The Great Turning that Macy envisions will occur one day, and soon. I believe it is essential for us to shift from an industrial growth society to a life-sustaining civilization. The more people who realize this and begin to make the shift, the faster the Great Turning will occur.
The recent Quiz 6 on world religions made me think a great deal about how cultures of the world view nature. It seems to me that another Great Turning happened centuries ago when so-called Western Religions came into being. With Judaism, Islam, and Christianity, we see a shift from religious beliefs that view humans as part of an interconnected cosmic body, to the belief that God made nature to provide for the needs of humans. If we look at the more ancient religions such as Hinduism, Buddhism, Taoism, and the aboriginal (or native) religions, we see that humans do not hold themselves above nature and that there is a feeling of connection to the earth and all other living things. Only in these latest three religions is there a disconnect happening, a feeling that it is okay to use (read: exploit) nature for selfish purposes, without much thought regarding the ethical and cultural implications of such use. In my mind, this was one Great Turning of thought that needs to be Turned Back, so humans again realize that we must reconnect with nature, or risk becoming forever disconnected as we skip down the merry path to extinction.
Reading through "The Ends of Nature" by Sieferle, I begin to see over and over again that culture = artificial (nature = natural). The main ingredient in the artificial culture that humans have built around the species appears to be control. Tame that wilderness! Change that environment! Whip that land into shape. Culture = labor, compulsion, safety, reliability. Nature = freedom, spontaneity, danger, unpredictability (Sieferle 14). If, as Sieferle states, the natural state of things is the condition toward which all things are drawn, then humans must have a constant control battle raging on to keep up that artificial state. How exhausting is that? Wouldn't it be so much better to see ourselves as part of nature and quit the controlling behaviors of exploitation, change, torture and experimental investigation of "this recalcitrant nature"? (Sieferle 18)
By the way, we are indeed Stardust, Christine. That song came out in my freshman year of high school. I can remember listening to it for the first time and being just blown away. CSNY rock!
I am sure when I have finished all this week's readings, I will have much more to say. For now, I'm trying to "be one with the pain" I feel when reading all this and realizing how very bad Western/Christian thought has been for our mother Earth.
Joanna Macys exercises have helped me grasp a more realistic view of the situation on planet earth and the fact the great change may not come. She also helped me see I alone do not have the power to save the world but can be a small part of the change. Before this time I felt I had to weight of the world on my shoulders more and was never very clear That I am just a small part of the change. The listening part of the exercise was good for me because it made me see I should work on just listening to others more before I speak. Also I like how Doug brought up the concept this may be the turning point from the industrial growth society to the life sustaining society. All these things I have learned in our last class I have been talking with others in the community about. The learning experience has planted many seeds of knowledge. June mentioned in our last reading of World Religions Hinduism, Buddism,Taoism, and Aboriginals religions seem to teach us about the interconnected-ness of life and teach we are not above other living creatures, but in fact humans are the only animal on earth with the power to create civilizations, use sophisticated tools, and refine the nature world to create are societies. So knowing this and our power does this not give us the right to think we are superior to other living animals and plants and does this not give us the right to exploit the earth in any means we want.
First, I just want to say I enjoy Doug's exercise very much. It inspired me to go out and really look at nature. The tiny little seedling that are popping up through the ground, the birds better singing in the trees, the crisp fresh air in the morning, the beauty that is all around me. I feel thankful for being part of nature. Just as Joanna “Personal Guidelines for the Great Turning.” I like how Joanna Macy describes gratitude. She is thankful for being alive, able to breathe the air. Joanna is grateful for being part of our beauty world. We have the capabilities to step up and help. Don't be afraid of the darkness face your fears. Like myself, I put blinders on because the things I read or see are so appalling to me. Joanna says roll up your sleeves and get out there. I think if we educate more people on how our society is depending on so much of our resources, and other countries. If we don't stop using our resources, and continually depending on other countries resources they won't be any left for our future. Like Joanna said, “There are so many different issues where to start. Just find what you love to work on and take joy in that. Never try to do it alone.”
The BAD news is: While I am eternally grateful that people such as Joanna Macy exist, I have to say that after looking a little closer at the material, I might be one of those who finds "Deep Ecology" perhaps too esoteric for my tastes.
I value what Joanna Macy is trying to do. I even applaud her efforts and energy. It’s just that when it comes to the writings on workshops such as “The Council of All Beings,” I mean, you lose me, big time.
So, personally, and for any number of reasons, I just can’t go there with Joanna. I’ve done my own personal mourning and pondering. I think I have a pretty good grasp of my relationship with the planet, so having animals choose me… well, lets just say I have 5 feline furry ones who have “chosen me” at a food bill of about $20.00 a week, and that’s about as far as I’ll go in exchanging energy with animals for the moment.
However, I must always, always say… that though some of the readings fail to resonate with me… I absolutely respect those who choose to express themselves through such efforts. Really, I mean it. It takes all kinds of spices to make a good stew.
The GOOD news is: When it comes to the kind of efforts I can fully embrace, I also have to say, thank you Joanna! Her website linked me to the International Society for Ecology and Culture (ISEC).
This group is so what I’m about! I am so absolutely enthused about this organization and their approach to “Globalization.” The fact that this group is international also excites me. The heading on their home page pulls everything together for me as well. “Promoting locally based alternatives to the global consumer culture.”
The ISEC has some wonderful programs and I like what they stand for so much, I plan to do my final paper based on what I have learned about them and how the Mendocino Environmental Center shares a very similar mission. I also hope to make a few proposals for how the two might interact.
This introduction is taken from the website:
“The International Society for Ecology and Culture (ISEC) is a non-profit organization concerned with the protection of both biological and cultural diversity. Our emphasis is on education for action: moving beyond single issues to look at the more fundamental influences that shape our lives. Our activities include: Books, reports, conferences and films Local, national and international networking. Community initiatives and Campaigning.” To find out more, go to: www.isec.org.uk/index.html
Joanna Macy is a very inspiring person. Her work is clear and logical and a great contribution to a sustainable society. Her guidelines are very informative about feeling the pain and not going at the change we hope to make alone. Right now I feel feeling the pain is the hardest step no one wants to hurt. To look at the world through realistic eyes is just to painful at times. But there is a great benefit in finding people that are on the same page as you with their ideas of the world and how it should be treated. I personally have been spending more time in the woods since our last class with Doug and while I am there I try to think of my personal interconnectedness with it and all living life form around me. I am happy others have been impacted by the class too.
5 comments:
I posted some of my thoughts about this discussion topic on my own blog, but for those of you who don't have time to read through all that, here are my initial thoughts:
Our SL journal lead question this week was whether or not the exercises with Doug Mosel gave any insights or tools that could be put into practice with the service placements. I gave this some thought while I was potting up, and I realized that Doug's exercises and Joanna Macy's philosophies provide many insights and tools for me to use, not just at the Noyo Food Forest, but in everyday life. The listening technique is especially helpful to me for when I interact with others. I do hope The Great Turning that Macy envisions will occur one day, and soon. I believe it is essential for us to shift from an industrial growth society to a life-sustaining civilization. The more people who realize this and begin to make the shift, the faster the Great Turning will occur.
The recent Quiz 6 on world religions made me think a great deal about how cultures of the world view nature. It seems to me that another Great Turning happened centuries ago when so-called Western Religions came into being. With Judaism, Islam, and Christianity, we see a shift from religious beliefs that view humans as part of an interconnected cosmic body, to the belief that God made nature to provide for the needs of humans. If we look at the more ancient religions such as Hinduism, Buddhism, Taoism, and the aboriginal (or native) religions, we see that humans do not hold themselves above nature and that there is a feeling of connection to the earth and all other living things. Only in these latest three religions is there a disconnect happening, a feeling that it is okay to use (read: exploit) nature for selfish purposes, without much thought regarding the ethical and cultural implications of such use. In my mind, this was one Great Turning of thought that needs to be Turned Back, so humans again realize that we must reconnect with nature, or risk becoming forever disconnected as we skip down the merry path to extinction.
Reading through "The Ends of Nature" by Sieferle, I begin to see over and over again that culture = artificial (nature = natural). The main ingredient in the artificial culture that humans have built around the species appears to be control. Tame that wilderness! Change that environment! Whip that land into shape. Culture = labor, compulsion, safety, reliability. Nature = freedom, spontaneity, danger, unpredictability (Sieferle 14). If, as Sieferle states, the natural state of things is the condition toward which all things are drawn, then humans must have a constant control battle raging on to keep up that artificial state. How exhausting is that? Wouldn't it be so much better to see ourselves as part of nature and quit the controlling behaviors of exploitation, change, torture and experimental investigation of "this recalcitrant nature"? (Sieferle 18)
By the way, we are indeed Stardust, Christine. That song came out in my freshman year of high school. I can remember listening to it for the first time and being just blown away. CSNY rock!
I am sure when I have finished all this week's readings, I will have much more to say. For now, I'm trying to "be one with the pain" I feel when reading all this and realizing how very bad Western/Christian thought has been for our mother Earth.
Joanna Macys exercises have helped me grasp a more realistic view of the situation on planet earth and the fact the great change may not come. She also helped me see I alone do not have the power to save the world but can be a small part of the change. Before this time I felt I had to weight of the world on my shoulders more and was never very clear That I am just a small part of the change.
The listening part of the exercise was good for me because it made me see I should work on just listening to others more before I speak.
Also I like how Doug brought up the concept this may be the turning point from the industrial growth society to the life sustaining society. All these things I have learned in our last class I have been talking with others in the community about. The learning experience has planted many seeds of knowledge.
June mentioned in our last reading of World Religions Hinduism, Buddism,Taoism, and Aboriginals religions seem to teach us about the interconnected-ness of life and teach we are not above other living creatures, but in fact humans are the only animal on earth with the power to create civilizations, use sophisticated tools, and refine the nature world to create are societies. So knowing this and our power does this not give us the right to think we are superior to other living animals and plants and does this not give us the right to exploit the earth in any means we want.
First, I just want to say I enjoy Doug's exercise very much. It inspired me to go out and really look at nature. The tiny little seedling that are popping up through the ground, the birds better singing in the trees, the crisp fresh air in the morning, the beauty that is all around me. I feel thankful for being part of nature.
Just as Joanna “Personal Guidelines for the Great Turning.” I like how Joanna Macy describes gratitude. She is thankful for being alive, able to breathe the air. Joanna is grateful for being part of our beauty world. We have the capabilities to step up and help.
Don't be afraid of the darkness face your fears. Like myself, I put blinders on because the things I read or see are so appalling to me. Joanna says roll up your sleeves and get out there. I think if we educate more people on how our society is depending on so much of our resources, and other countries. If we don't stop using our resources, and continually depending on other countries resources they won't be any left for our future. Like Joanna said, “There are so many different issues where to start. Just find what you love to work on and take joy in that. Never try to do it alone.”
Thoughts about Joanna Macy...
The BAD news is:
While I am eternally grateful that people such as Joanna Macy exist, I have to say that after looking a little closer at the material, I might be one of those who finds "Deep Ecology" perhaps too esoteric for my tastes.
I value what Joanna Macy is trying to do. I even applaud her efforts and energy.
It’s just that when it comes to the writings on workshops such as “The Council of All Beings,” I mean, you lose me, big time.
So, personally, and for any number of reasons, I just can’t go there with Joanna. I’ve done my own personal mourning and pondering. I think I have a pretty good grasp of my relationship with the planet, so having animals choose me… well, lets just say I have 5 feline furry ones who have “chosen me” at a food bill of about $20.00 a week, and that’s about as far as I’ll go in exchanging energy with animals for the moment.
However, I must always, always say… that though some of the readings fail to resonate with me… I absolutely respect those who choose to express themselves through such efforts. Really, I mean it. It takes all kinds of spices to make a good stew.
The GOOD news is:
When it comes to the kind of efforts I can fully embrace, I also have to say, thank you Joanna! Her website linked me to the International Society for Ecology and Culture (ISEC).
This group is so what I’m about! I am so absolutely enthused about this organization and their approach to “Globalization.” The fact that this group is international also excites me. The heading on their home page pulls everything together for me as well. “Promoting locally based alternatives to the global consumer culture.”
The ISEC has some wonderful programs and I like what they stand for so much, I plan to do my final paper based on what I have learned about them and how the Mendocino Environmental Center shares a very similar mission. I also hope to make a few proposals for how the two might interact.
This introduction is taken from the website:
“The International Society for Ecology and Culture (ISEC) is a non-profit organization concerned with the protection of both biological and cultural diversity. Our emphasis is on education for action: moving beyond single issues to look at the more fundamental influences that shape our lives. Our activities include:
Books, reports, conferences and films
Local, national and international networking.
Community initiatives and Campaigning.”
To find out more, go to: www.isec.org.uk/index.html
Joanna Macy is a very inspiring person. Her work is clear and logical and a great contribution to a sustainable society. Her guidelines are very informative about feeling the pain and not going at the change we hope to make alone. Right now I feel feeling the pain is the hardest step no one wants to hurt. To look at the world through realistic eyes is just to painful at times. But there is a great benefit in finding people that are on the same page as you with their ideas of the world and how it should be treated. I personally have been spending more time in the woods since our last class with Doug and while I am there I try to think of my personal interconnectedness with it and all living life form around me. I am happy others have been impacted by the class too.
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