Loved this, this vision of the world thru nature and the entire universe seems so harmonious and a sustainable way to continue. We have acted for so long as if only our desires matter. Desires that are not in sync with the oceans the forests and all living creatures. Loved that The Overstory was mentioned, just started Braiding Sweetgrass another gem about living in this world.
This. Is. My. Jam. I can’t get enough of this. I read this three times in two days. (I had planned to write a much longer comment, but I can’t wait any longer to post.)
I keep books by Robin Wall Kimmerer, David Abram and EO Wilson by my side at all times. And The Overstory was one of my favorite novels of all time.
For most of 2019, I have been traveling across America’s forests, living in an RV on the back of my pickup truck, connecting with nature, with trees, and with my own wild self.
When among trees, alone, I have experienced a few profoundly spiritual moments of pure transcendence. Perhaps “epiphany” is the word, but it doesn’t feel strong enough. I have realized, quite simply: I am alive. I am life. I am simultaneously complete and perfect and yet I’m also just one thread in a very large tapestry or Tree of Life. And this Life is all around me, every day, in the dirt, the air, a puddle of water. The world teems with it. But also, it’s all dying. We’re all dying. And not in the good way that creates more life, but in the bad way, the Big Death. And yet, in some cosmic way, maybe it all isn’t so bad after all. I think, I hope.
Anyway, I lack the words to describe it all, but this article gets me one step closer. (So many new writers and authors to explore!! This is like Christmas!)
I want to know what other readers think. I know it’s heady stuff and I really won’t be hurt, even if the thought is, “This is lunatic.” I won’t even be surprised. I’m mostly just curious to know if any/all of these ideas can catch on.
And if this stuff really resonates with you, let’s meet. We’ll climb trees and stage a reading of Ness. This isn’t a drill. It’s an extinction event. We should all be screaming into the sky.
I mean the whole animism/more-than-human thing is pure lunacy. I think it serves only to distract from potential practical solutions to environmental issues. I actually find it kind of disturbing. I can't think of any other species that would ever seek to limit itself in such a way. In that sense I think it's a profoundly unnatural mindset.
I don't like to feel like I'm accidentally undermining some shorter-term ideas and movements that I care about, but you're probably right that to really advance this line of thinking is to throw a wrench into what could (and maybe should) be a conversation about specific matters of policy. And economics. And survival. What to do about the rising, acidifying ocean? The wildfires in California? Military bases in Arizona and New Mexico are shutting down because it's too hot to survive, day after day, over 100 degrees. And yet, still, to me, the mainstream/centrist stuff of the day (the Green New Deal, the Clean Air & Water Acts) seem like a fart in the wind. Because of the way we live, we're poisoning ourselves and each other, and all of the life all around us, including two heavenly bodies, the oceans and the forests, that support all life on Earth!
“Humans are entering “The Eremocene” - the Age of Loneliness”. This article asks “How can a culture as educated as ours be so oblivious, so reckless, in its relations to the animate earth?” I can not believe that in only 50 years, North America has lost 3 billion birds - 29% of the total population. If the natural world does continue to disappear, we will indeed be heartbreakingly lonely. When I go for my walks everyday, I thank every tree, bird, squirrel, butterfly etc...I tell them how beautiful they are, how grateful I am for their existence. I feel I am doing what I can but perhaps I can do more. Our book club is reading Overstory for next month. I have been warned that it’s intense and profound. I’m looking forward to it.
I did read The Overstory and am still processing it.....
(SPOILER ALERT !!!)
Maidenhair's demise put me a funk for a couple days. A very powerful novel, and a great tie-in article.
Wow. As someone who knows very little about trees but really is trying to change this, it hit me hard. What a complex topic, I loved the line about how mountains should have mountain rights, rivers should have river rights, etc. And the entire concept of, "Why should our laws prevail in this case, anyhow?" and how this presupposes that humans > trees.
Loved this, this vision of the world thru nature and the entire universe seems so harmonious and a sustainable way to continue. We have acted for so long as if only our desires matter. Desires that are not in sync with the oceans the forests and all living creatures. Loved that The Overstory was mentioned, just started Braiding Sweetgrass another gem about living in this world.
This. Is. My. Jam. I can’t get enough of this. I read this three times in two days. (I had planned to write a much longer comment, but I can’t wait any longer to post.)
I keep books by Robin Wall Kimmerer, David Abram and EO Wilson by my side at all times. And The Overstory was one of my favorite novels of all time.
For most of 2019, I have been traveling across America’s forests, living in an RV on the back of my pickup truck, connecting with nature, with trees, and with my own wild self.
When among trees, alone, I have experienced a few profoundly spiritual moments of pure transcendence. Perhaps “epiphany” is the word, but it doesn’t feel strong enough. I have realized, quite simply: I am alive. I am life. I am simultaneously complete and perfect and yet I’m also just one thread in a very large tapestry or Tree of Life. And this Life is all around me, every day, in the dirt, the air, a puddle of water. The world teems with it. But also, it’s all dying. We’re all dying. And not in the good way that creates more life, but in the bad way, the Big Death. And yet, in some cosmic way, maybe it all isn’t so bad after all. I think, I hope.
Anyway, I lack the words to describe it all, but this article gets me one step closer. (So many new writers and authors to explore!! This is like Christmas!)
I want to know what other readers think. I know it’s heady stuff and I really won’t be hurt, even if the thought is, “This is lunatic.” I won’t even be surprised. I’m mostly just curious to know if any/all of these ideas can catch on.
And if this stuff really resonates with you, let’s meet. We’ll climb trees and stage a reading of Ness. This isn’t a drill. It’s an extinction event. We should all be screaming into the sky.
I mean the whole animism/more-than-human thing is pure lunacy. I think it serves only to distract from potential practical solutions to environmental issues. I actually find it kind of disturbing. I can't think of any other species that would ever seek to limit itself in such a way. In that sense I think it's a profoundly unnatural mindset.
I don't like to feel like I'm accidentally undermining some shorter-term ideas and movements that I care about, but you're probably right that to really advance this line of thinking is to throw a wrench into what could (and maybe should) be a conversation about specific matters of policy. And economics. And survival. What to do about the rising, acidifying ocean? The wildfires in California? Military bases in Arizona and New Mexico are shutting down because it's too hot to survive, day after day, over 100 degrees. And yet, still, to me, the mainstream/centrist stuff of the day (the Green New Deal, the Clean Air & Water Acts) seem like a fart in the wind. Because of the way we live, we're poisoning ourselves and each other, and all of the life all around us, including two heavenly bodies, the oceans and the forests, that support all life on Earth!
*writers and ARTISTS
“Humans are entering “The Eremocene” - the Age of Loneliness”. This article asks “How can a culture as educated as ours be so oblivious, so reckless, in its relations to the animate earth?” I can not believe that in only 50 years, North America has lost 3 billion birds - 29% of the total population. If the natural world does continue to disappear, we will indeed be heartbreakingly lonely. When I go for my walks everyday, I thank every tree, bird, squirrel, butterfly etc...I tell them how beautiful they are, how grateful I am for their existence. I feel I am doing what I can but perhaps I can do more. Our book club is reading Overstory for next month. I have been warned that it’s intense and profound. I’m looking forward to it.
Oh heck yes. When is the book club? I want to pull together all of my Overstory-related reads!
December 13 - Friday the 13th! KiKi is hosting. Can’t wait.
I did read The Overstory and am still processing it..... (SPOILER ALERT !!!) Maidenhair's demise put me a funk for a couple days. A very powerful novel, and a great tie-in article.
Say it ain’t so Joe, say it ain’t so. But sadly, shocking and appalling it is so. Too many humans, so much greed, where will the extinction end!
Wow. As someone who knows very little about trees but really is trying to change this, it hit me hard. What a complex topic, I loved the line about how mountains should have mountain rights, rivers should have river rights, etc. And the entire concept of, "Why should our laws prevail in this case, anyhow?" and how this presupposes that humans > trees.