Our Little Blue Planet

The symbol for the environmental movement has long been our blue planet Earth as seen from outer space- and I think it's a damn shame. It seems to me the Earth is too large and abstract, too big and impersonal, too dis-embodied, to really love. Not that people can't develop a strong personal connection with a large and abstract entity- take God for example. In religion, love is awe: the love of God is big and mysterious and unknowable- and we must return that love based on faith rather than anything we might receive through our senses. To me, that’s the opposite of what love of nature really is. In love of nature, we come to love through our senses- through our experience of our bodies touching the world around us. Sure, the Earth is a powerful symbol, but disturbing as well. It symbolizes of the meaninglessness of our little lives. It sums up all the great patchwork mess, the geological and biological diversity of the planet, in a single one-ness. But environmentalism to me is expressing a love for a little piece of the Earth, not the planet as a whole. I’d prefer a smaller, more human-scale symbol for my environmental movement. Maybe a child growing a seed in a Dixie cup. Or an old man sitting on a tree stump, deep in thought. Or a kid catching a frog. The Earth-symbol somehow represents to me the environmentalism that treats science as a religion, that treats the word of James Hansen as the word of God. Let’s move towards a more populist environmentalism, and embrace the multitude of environmentalists. The farmers, the gardeners, the landscapers, the hunters, the trappers, the fishermen, the naturalists, the pigeon-fanciers, the ghost dancers, the spirit healers, the shamans, the holy men.

Just another political/environmental/philosophy/science/poetry blog...

In this blog I will critique the modern environmental movement generally, sometimes harshly, sometimes lovingly, but always respectfully I hope. My arguments will spring from many different fields, including (gasp!) politics, philosophy, poetry, and science. So just to start, here is my basic creed :

Act Locally!
What is an environmentalist to do in the land of the free? Why not follow the old motto of the environmental movement: “Think globally, act locally”. Except forget the “global” part. Just act to protect what you love. Don’t meddle in other people’s business. Don’t force your values down their throats- they are living, breathing, adults just like you are. Practice kindness and respect. Be modest. Don’t pretend that you speak for the animals, the trees, or anything like that. You don’t- you speak only for yourself. Don’t forget that you are only human. Relax- everything will be OK, as long as power isn’t concentrated in the hands of the few.