Reverence
Have the majority of humans collectively lost their sense of reverence for the wild – for environments we are not actively managing? Has the rise of science and technology been a significant driver of that loss of reverence through giving us the impression we can control the planet. If only we try hard enough, we can be the gods who we have invented? Is our lack of reverence speeding us along a path to destruction of the planet on which we depend for our existence?
‘Indigenous’ peoples, those who live tightly connected with their environment, revere the natural environment in a way paralleling awe of gods. I have been guilty of saying that humans invented gods because they didn't have science to provide 'real' explanations. I could be wrong...we may need to believe there is a power beyond our grasp. In New Zealand, we are re-learning that indigenous knowledge offers alternative ways of relating to the environment. I’m suggesting here that indigenous reverence may be an even more important lesson we need to re-learn.
Like it or not, we can’t control the planet at every level. We can’t control nuclear fusion in the sun, our energy source. We can’t control cooling in the core of the earth. Both of these will eventually lead to the end of Earth as a habitable lump of rock in the universe.
Currently, we imagine we can control our atmosphere. We have changed its nature through emitting a plethora of gases and are moving the atmosphere towards a state that will render much of the planet unliveable in our current terms. We also imagine we can manage the atmosphere back to a composition we prefer. Can we? Or do we continuously delude ourselves related to our conception of humans as other than (beyond) ‘nature’?
Science and technology have given us the illusion of ultimate control because we can influence so much. However, control and influence are two different beasts – that we can influence the atmosphere does not mean we can control it to behave in the way we would like.
Sci-tech also says if we can’t do something now, just wait…soon humans will invent a technology to achieve the particular goal. A new carbon storage tech to remove our carbon emissions. A way of seeding clouds to cool the planet down. A way of spreading nutrients in the ocean so that environment soaks up more greenhouse gases. However, every action has a reaction…what will the consequences of each technology be that we have to mitigate in the future? And then what will the consequences of those mitigations be… I'm reminded of the song about the old lady who swallowed a fly...
There was an old lady who swallowed a fly
I don't know why she swallowed a fly - perhaps she'll die!
There was an old lady who swallowed a spider,
That wriggled and wiggled and tiggled inside her;
She swallowed the spider to catch the fly;
I don't know why she swallowed a fly - Perhaps she'll die!
There was an old lady who swallowed a bird;
How absurd to swallow a bird.
She swallowed the bird to catch the spider,
She swallowed the spider to catch the fly;
I don't know why she swallowed a fly - Perhaps she'll die!
There was an old lady who swallowed a cat;
Fancy that to swallow a cat!
She swallowed the cat to catch the bird,
She swallowed the bird to catch the spider,
She swallowed the spider to catch the fly;
I don't know why she swallowed a fly - Perhaps she'll die!
There was an old lady that swallowed a dog;
What a hog, to swallow a dog;
She swallowed the dog to catch the cat,
She swallowed the cat to catch the bird,
She swallowed the bird to catch the spider,
She swallowed the spider to catch the fly;
I don't know why she swallowed a fly - Perhaps she'll die!
There was an old lady who swallowed a cow,
I don't know how she swallowed a cow;
She swallowed the cow to catch the dog,
She swallowed the dog to catch the cat,
She swallowed the cat to catch the bird,
She swallowed the bird to catch the spider,
She swallowed the spider to catch the fly;
I don't know why she swallowed a fly - Perhaps she'll die!
There was an old lady who swallowed a horse...
She's dead, of course!
Further on the control front, we know many people are becoming more anxious. We know anxiety is often linked to the desire for control. We know going into the ‘natural’ environment reduces anxiety – by going into a place where we do not believe we have control we re-learn such control is not possible. We can let go the need for control, rather than struggle for control we can’t achieve. How can we 'know' this at an individual level but not at a societal level?
When you are in the wild outdoors (such as our current ski touring in the Norwegian Finnmark Alps), reverence for the natural world comes easily. You feel your tiny place on the planet in an environment over which you have no sway. I argue many more people need to find that reverence, which our society has lost, in order for humans to re-learn how to sustainably live on this planet.
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