Reaction Theory; An Ecological ManifestoA Story by Alex P. All Talk, Where is the Action? | After countless readings, I find myself awed at how many ecologists and activists are simply whining... All
Talk, Where is the Action? After
countless readings, I find myself awed at how many ecologists and activists are
simply whining. They tell their readers about what will happen if they (the
readers) do not take action, however, they say very little about what is being
done to help the cause, or what the author is doing personally to lessen
humanity’s impact on the Earth. The reader automatically thinks that they must
be doing something, because they are
writing about it, and they have a degree in it. But, the truth is, very few of
these authors seem to be taking personal responsibility on their own small
scale for the things that they are telling other people to do. This
needs to change, and that is what this manifesto is about. It will explain what
I think could and should be done about our environmental disassociation. It
will be written as if directed at someone else; however, this manifesto is
simply for my own use. If others think similarly, more power to them. Humanity has, since
its evolution into horticultural and animal domestication, has disregarded
their environment. Walls have been built to keep it out; entire landscapes have
been modified, or even obliterated. Unknown species have been wiped out. In its
all-consuming greed, humanity has raped the world hundreds of times over, and
we are only now realizing the consequences of our actions. Only now are we
noticing the lack of fish in the sea, the choking pollution in the once clean
air, and the many weather anomalies. Do we really want our racial legacy to be one of disease,
destruction and insatiable anthropocentrism? Now, in the twenty-first century,
as we languidly sit, inactive in our self-woven delusions, we have come to a
crossroads: will we realize our hubris, and make efforts to correct our
parasitic lifestyle, or will we continue to lounge in the filth of our own
creations like pigs before the slaughter? Humanity has sunk so deeply into their
own materialism that they have neglected the environment around them. In their
home-lives, people strive for clean-cut lawns, but these patches of imported
grass are useless. Nobody ever really goes out to enjoy the summer months in
their yards anymore; the most contact most people have with their lawn is
mowing it. So, instead, these swatches
should be transformed into gardens. Fruit, herbs and vegetable plants are
much more useful. We have no pasture animals to feed, but we have ourselves. By creating a garden in our front or back yards (or both),
we not only increase the ecological usefulness of the land we inhabit, but we
also cut down on the prices of our weekly grocery purchases. Granted, some plants cannot naturally be grown here, but that
is why greenhouses were invented. The trees along the boulevard can be
changed out too. Sure, they are pretty, and some of them even flower. They
would be more useful, though, if humans could eat the fruit those sweet-smelling
flowers produced. Cherries, among other smaller fruits, are more than capable
of being planted near the roads, while larger fruits could be planted nearer to
the houses, where the risk of breaking passing windshields is not as great. These simple modifications would not
only help purify the air within neighbourhoods, but it would ultimately cut
down on the pollution caused by transporting imported fruits and vegetables
from other countries. Yes, this would affect the economy. Any action taken to help
the environment would. It is a burden humanity must withstand; otherwise, the
consequences will be much more devastating than a few less imported apples. As Stan Rowe said in his essay
compilation Earth Alive, the Earth is
not an entity outside us, but a part of us. We respond to the elements as we
have for thousands of years, with many minor modifications. However, humanity
has secluded itself so thoroughly from its habitat that many are withdrawn from
their natural connection, and are miserable because of it. People, who rush
around in urban centres like ants in a hill, scowl as if they are held captive
in the same routine. It is only in their youth and when they reach their golden
years, the era of their retirement, that humanity seeks out its earthen origins
once more. Once they do, these people find peace with their lives. So, if our peace is derived from a
connection to the natural world, why do we flee from it? Why do we not run to
it, and embrace it as we would a long-lost loved one? It is because people
forget that this link exists. From the day that we are born into this world, we
are surrounded by nature, and it is in nature where we find our joy. That is
why people garden, and why we find our houses filled with flowers when we are
feeling discontent. We flee on our vacations to remote locations in the
mountains and by the oceans, and are awed by their majesty. “We are Earthlings first, humans second.” (Earth Alive, p. 21) We need to
surround ourselves with the Earth, not just when we need to unwind the ragged
ball of anxiety in the pit of our being, but always. If we did, we would have
fewer stresses in our lives. It would be nice, for once, to have a high quality
of life, instead of just pretending that we do. Our enjoyment of nature is at a
primal level. All we need to do is to realize that instinctive need, and make
it a conscious awareness. It is our prerogative and our duty to imbue ourselves
with our natural world once again. It is necessary if we want our race, and the
life-sustaining environment that surrounds us, to survive. In order to infuse ouu souls with nature once more, we need
to welcome it. We need to slow down, and listen to the birdsong, or the
sound of the wind in the trees. We need to make a deliberate effort to walk in
the forests, and to notice the others that are there. We as humans are not the be-all and end-all of the world.
We are oversights, parasites. When we die, our bodies return to the Earth (some
after several thousand years of decaying through the hardwood of coffins). We
return to it whether we like it or not. The narcissism that humans express is a purely human
creation. As are all destructive emotions. Arrogance, hate, fury - none of
these emotions are aspects of what we consider “wild”. None of the other
animals that share our Earth feel such things. If we de-humanize, and become
Earthlings once again, many of our problems will be solved for us. As a Wiccan, I think these mentalities are common sense. I
am one who reveres the Earth. I sing along with birds and talk to trees as if
they were my elders. When I see a landscape levelled for the benefit “progress”,
my soul weeps. I am one of the few who finds a thrill in the sound of a howling
wolf, and do not shy from it in fear of the untamed. To me, the
Earth is sacred, the First Mother. I separate myself from those around me in
that I consciously respect the environment, and I still fit into the urban
motif easily. I am not seen as abnormal
to the general populous. Only a handful people think I am weird because of my
beliefs, and these people still chose to remain my friends. Being connected with the Earth
is not a new idea; in fact, is something that is already in motion. In
Third-World countries, where the people are not as immersed in the modern urban
lifestyle, they are happier. Their happiness is not economically based, but
rather, it is derived from the closeness of family, and a comfortable balance
with the environment they live in. But how do I know that they are happier? I am
Canadian, born and raised. I am attuned to the North American lifestyle so
fully that if I spend too long without some sort of stress, I begin feeling
uncomfortable. However, I spent a year in the beautiful Central American
country of Panamá. My family and I attempted to assimilate ourselves into the
Panamanian culture, instead of living in an expat community, and we came to
know the families of the locals with whom we interacted. On Saturday mornings,
we would frequent the same markets, when the farmers would bring their produce
down from their farms in the mountains. Eventually, we grew more attuned to
their live-for-the-now lifestyle. We can do something similar here. In Panamá, we visited the fresh markets on Saturdays, but here, we can simply go to the farmer’s markets, many of which are open several times a week, and some even year-round. It not only generates fresher meat and produce, which makes meals more nutritious, but it also helps the local economy by reducing the food’s travel time. Fresh (and many times organic) food tastes phenomenally
better than regular food. Anyone who has tried organic food, even from the
supermarkets, knows this. Buy locally, and when possible, buy organic.
This will help to make you healthier, and you will enjoy the flavours that are
in these foods. Because they have not spent so much time on the road, local
foods hold more of their natural nutrients and are ultimately better for you. I have talked about food, but now, I
would like to talk about the products that are commonly used to clean up after
we prepare our food. On a daily basis, every household uses countless chemical
cleaners to fight a war with invisible enemies that have been demonized by
companies who sell you the product that eradicates them. Although these
cleaners are so prevalent in our society, they are not harmless to humans. They
affect us by seeping into our bodies and slowly poisoning them. On average, any given North American has 91
of the 167 texted toxins found in people, 53 of them being known cancer-causing
agents. Babies that have not even begun to experience the world are born
with varying levels of these toxins. I do not really have to explain how wrong this is. The compounds that are supposed to protect us from getting sick, are making us sick. Yet, there are cleaning agents that work just as well, that use natural ingredients. They do not cause cancer, because all of their properties are natural. They are not only better for our bodies, they are better for our Earth, too. Contaminants that leech into our environments affect the plant
and animal life around us, many of which we later consume. An easy example is
the overabundant algal bloom in Lake Winnipeg. These blooms are not
only making it impossible for people to enjoy the beach during the summer
because of acrid smells and sludgy tides, but they are also affecting the
bio-chemistry of the resident fish, and are slowly sapping the oxygen from the
lake water as they die and decompose. Their span is so devastatingly obvious, that from a
satellite, the lake appears green. This specific species of algae is also
harmful to humans. The blue-green strain has proven itself poisonous, as in the
case with the death of a local dog after drinking the green-tinted water. This
strain floats closer to the surface of the water than the less harmful strains,
and therefore has more access to the nutrients it requires to sustain it. This entire, devastating ordeal is caused by excessive
amounts of phosphorus and nitrogen, and inadequate numbers of “live” wetlands.
The marsh that supplies the most filtration for the lake has slowed its
efforts, because of the constant ‘health’ of the wetlands. As David Suzuki
explains, wetlands and marshes require periods of instability in order to
function properly. It is another case of too much of a “good thing” being
harmful. (“Save My Lake” The Nature of Things with David Suzuki, CBC ,
April 3, 2011) In order to reverse the effects these
chemicals are having on ourselves and the world we live in, simple measures
need to be taken. For example, when shopping for your cleaning products,
compare the products regularly purchased to the ‘green’ products. See how
they are similar, and make a decision based on the information. Environmentally friendly cleaning
products are also available, where there are virtually no chemicals in the
solutions, and the cleaners work better than the mainstream products. These companies ensure that these cleaning
products will not harm you. In fact, they do not even irritate the skin. Granted,
these are slightly more expensive, but they work wonderfully, and tend to leave
a scent that is agreeable to the olfactory senses. One company, Melaleuca Inc., uses tea tree oil as a base in
every single one of their products, as their name suggests. These extend from
household cleaning, to other areas, including personal hygiene. The
effectiveness of these creations is so apparent, that you are actually instructed
to use less than you normally would. The methods and merchandise that will help protect our
planet are out there, and they are slowly reaching the mainstream
consciousness. One has to remember that anything that is done, eventually,
comes back around to affect the instigator. In the instance of our perpetual
environmental poisoning... Well, why do you think diseases like cancer are so
prevalent? The vast majority of serious
modern-day diseases are rooted in the body’s toxicity. If one bothers to
follow the path far enough, it can be traced to what we ingest, and what we
absorb through our skin on a daily basis. We are tainting that which should be
sacred to us in our mad scramble to control our environments. We can alter the way we live in small ways to better our
lives, and the lives of those who succeed us. We only now begin to comprehend
the damage we have inflicted upon our only home. This Earth is all we have. If
we continue to destroy it, we will only destroy ourselves. That should be
enough to motivate even the most selfish of hearts: We are killing ourselves
with our current way of life. We are now reaching a point in which action must
be taken; a drastic shift in mentality must be made, lest the outcome of
every-single-human-based apocalypse story come true. As Chief Seattle once
said, “We do not inherit the Earth from our ancestors, we borrow it from our
children.” These shifts can be minimal at first. Some argue that one
person cannot change the world. I argue to these pessimists, that it is always a single person at the forefront
of every crucial global shift throughout history. That one person took a stand
for what they believed in, and others followed, because they shared the same
beliefs, but were too meek to step forward. Change can happen. If everyone began making a change in
their individual lives, then we would not need a global clean up. Each person
would be doing his or her part, and this crisis would in time, disappear. If everyone could remember themselves as
Earthlings, and not “humans” then we would be better off in health and
happiness than we have been since the earliest days of our existence. Start your own personal revolution. Resolve to become more Earth friendly, and in turn, more Earthling friendly. We need to take care of our planet, because we must return the gift of life that it has bestowed upon us. Earth is our First Mother, ancient and sacred. We must treat her with the respect and adoration she deserves. © 2011 Alex P.Author's Note
|
Stats
161 Views
Added on April 7, 2011 Last Updated on April 7, 2011 |
Share This
Email
Facebook
Twitter
Read Request
My Library
Subscribe
Flag Writing