A Reunion : Bringing Humans Back To Nature

                                            A Reunion : Bringing Humans Back To Nature 

While thoroughly enjoying my senior years, I have experienced a profound inter nal struggle as I try to understand why we older folks are leaving an ecological mess for our younger generations.

As a scientist and conservationist, I see this process of "Nature denial" taking place. I see the everyday activities of ordi nary people impairing important ecosys tems with activities as simple as dog walking in legally restricted or prohibited areas where dogs have a negative impact on important ecosystems. Warning signs created by knowledgeable ecologists are completely ignored by some members of the adult public. When a dog walker is ap proached by a smiling and polite steward of Nature who is also a member of the lo cal community, tension ensues. In many cases, the dog walker continues on with the dog without leaving the area. No amount of courteous and compassionate dialog will sway the dog walker because he or she believes that the dog has a "right" to be there. Where I live, this inter change happens often. 

This kind of thing is happening by seem ingly responsible adults at all levels, from walking dogs to climate denial. One does not have to dig very deep to discover that the human world is facing some major en vironmental crises unless some real changes take place in humanity's world views about Nature. I feel this very deeply because my current group of students, and their offspring, will be the first gener ation to experience some pretty awful things as they reach middle age. I feel for this generation of young people, aged 25 years and younger, as I face them in the classroom every week. I accept my share of the responsibility because I am part of their problem. 

Thinking that there is an infinite supply of goods available to us in our garden of Eden, the members of my generation have fueled over-consumption that has resulted in straining the finite resources of Earth. We have seen ourselves as separate from Nature instead of being dependent upon Her. We have erroneously believed that our technology can control Nature and will offer miracles that will prevent the bad things from happening.. And, we adults have failed to see that the relation ships and interactions between things are far more important than the things them selves. We have failed to realize that we humans need Nature but that Nature does not need us. 

Inside of me, I find myself silently dealing with a growing anger for some people's total disregard for the environment upon which all of our lives depend. I find myself trying to understand what is going on. But, most of all, I seek solutions to offer my students. I see brightness in a group of adult heroes who are positive exceptions within my generation. These folks are en vironmental educators, thought leaders, and scientists. These people are bringing the truth of the near term future to our young people and offering solutions. 

My discomfort has driven me to do a lot of reading as I seek the perspectives of some great thought leaders of our time. I have come to realize that the climate change problem and the dog walking problem are the same problem, They both call for the same solution. Among many, I am particularly grateful for the persuasive thinking of thought integrator Jeremy Lent, environmental and political activist George Monbiot, philosopher Kathleen Dean Moore, speaker and writer on themes of human cultural evolution Charles Eisenstein, environmental educa tor David W. Orr, and the father of modern systems thinking Fritjof Capra. At the end of this essay, I offer online references for each of these thinkers. 

The one basic idea expressed by every one of these people is that of a misguided and misinformed human culture that has driven us to a point in our Earth's history where we all feel separated from Nature. We feel separated from our very source of life. If we can understand that actions by humans are motivated by separation, we may have a chance at helping our youth forge a new pathway to both survival and happiness. For, it is through our youth that we humans have a chance of saving our race.

Climate Healers describes this story of separation: 

"This story of separation is the core story that is truly failing us. With the technological strides we have made in the last two centuries, most of us live in concrete jungles with little to no exposure to the terrestrial biodiversity on Earth. Other than our pets, we rarely meet any other animal species in our daily lives except in zoos and circuses or packaged as meat in supermarkets."

Some people have concluded that we are separated from Creation in an uncon scious enactment of the Old Testament story. In Genesis 1: 26 of the Bible (KJV), we are told that humans have dominion over the Earth: 

"Then God said, 'Let Us make man in our image, according to Our likeness; let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth."

We are entering a story of Reunion 

Throughout all of this human created chaos, Charles Eisenstein sees hope. He says that:

"Individually and collectively, we are on a journey from a story of Separation to a new yet ancient story of Reunion: ecology, interdependence, and interbeing." 

Indeed Eisenstein's words define the path way of this Reunion which is the solution to the climate problem, the dog problem, and other human created environmental problems. We must take the Reunion pathway if we are going to empower our youth by creating a new human con sciousness of our interdependence with Nature in the minds and hearts of our cur rent and future generations. A conscious ness for interbeing among all things in Nature. 

Interbeing means to inter-dependently co exist. The meaning of interbeing recog nizes the dependence of any one person on all other people and objects. Not only is no man an island, but rather his interbe ing is shared with the plants and animals he eats, the people who make his clothes and food, the people who populate his home, country and the very world he per ceives, the insects that pollinate the trees that yield his fruit, shade him from the sun, and provide lumber for his house. 

This essay begins a series of essays that describe some of the ideas that are ex pressed by current thought leaders re garding the human role in resolving the current ecological crisis and bringing we humans back into a Reunion with Nature. Some of the subjects that this essay se ries will address include: 

 The Necessity of Our Interbeing With Nature 

Empowering Our Youth 

The Danger of Fundamentalism • The Vital Importance of Systems 

Thinking By Humans (Our Earth's Living Systems) 

The Power of Legacy

For Your Further Consideration 

This essay is part of a series of essays that present ideas to environmental edu cators and all stewards of Nature about ecoliteracy and legacy. The emphasis is on two key ideas: 

1. Our earth is a living system that trans ports and transforms energy. The key to an active ecoliteracy that results in a healthy environment for all life on earth is the building of a systems view of life into the minds and hearts of humanity, This worldview includes the fact that all of Nature is interconnected and interdependent. 

2. Environmental education is not simply offering facts. Environmental education must be hands-on and place-based if ideas, facts, and effective conservation strategies are to become a conscious ness in the minds and hearts of our youth. Environmental education must include the the passing of this con sciousness to future generations. 

Why Do I Write These Blogs? 

Nothing in Nature exists in isolation. The movement of life's energy, which origi nates in the sun, takes place because ev erything is interconnected and interdepen dent. Your consciousness of interdepen dence in Nature means that, every time you engage Nature, you ask yourself how a creature, a plant, yourself, or a natural object is connected to another and to Nature's greater scheme of things. With this awareness you are prepared to pro tect Nature's environment that sustains you. And, you create your legacy by en couraging others to do likewise. 

If, after reading my essays, you find your self embracing these ideas, I am thrilled in knowing that I've played some small part in setting this world view in motion in your mind.