Religion and Ecology 2019

The Transcendentalists were not, and still are not often taken very seriously. During their time this was because of their disaffiliation with the church, today it is because of their alignment with the “hippie” stereotype. Today, the view of Transcendentalism has become so muddled by time that is has been even been thought to be a branch of atheism. This misconception is a result of a misunderstanding wherein the Transcendentalists were publically against the church and its corruption; most specifically pertaining to the views of the Unitarian Church. They advocated instead for a view of religion that saw God as a sentience that was primarily within, as well as around and above every living thing. What is widely taken as the primary doctrine of transcendentalism is the concept of a universal Over-Soul. This Over-Soul, from Ralph Waldo Emerson’s 1841 essay of the same name, is God, and is viewed as the connection between all things. God and the Over-Soul display this connection throu...

The environmentally degrading effects of supporting the 7 billion people that this planet is home to have been widely studied. Not only are the resources needed to sustain present human life becoming scarce and hard to come by, but the human degradation of the environment is magnified to detrimental levels. However, this is only half of the problem. The overpopulation issue is one that our society will always be handling the ramifications of; the problem will not go away as the third-world develops or the baby boomer generation dies. In the U.S. alone, more than 76 million people are projected to reach the average life expectancy by 2042 . The resources needed to support and the environmental consequences of supporting the dead are arguably comparable to that of the living. Modern day traditional funeral practices have many environmentally impactful aspects. Land use and deforestation for cemeteries and burial grounds are of a significant level of concern. Natural places are being al...

Based off the documentary film Black Gold The film “Black Gold” is a documentary following the people involved in the trade of coffee. This includes the CEOs of corporations, managers of franchises, wholesalers, and stock brokers. Not to mention the most important and also most overlooked producers; the third-world farmers that are the source of the coffee trade. A sad but obvious truth regarding environmental principles is that those in third-world developing countries are dealt the short end of the stick when it comes to environmental cleanliness. The same apparently reigns true in the realm of economics. Though those peoples that farm the coffee beans themselves are inarguably the most important players in the coffee trade game, they are those who reap the least reward of the immense profit that the market generates (coffee is the second most traded commodity in the stock market). The coffee prices (those that were used as an example and basis for the film) are determined by the ...

In his book, From Nature to Creation, Norman  Wirzba argues that one must learn to live and see the world in a similar way that God does as its creator: “as good and beautiful, and as worthy of being cherished and celebrated”. He then explicitly outlines the starting point for doing this as “developing an imagination for the world as created, sustained, and daily loved by God.” This may be done by expressing the qualities that God ebodies and imposing them upon the world and God’s creatures residing in it. This involves humility and sympathy; having a pathetic (invoking pathos) relationship with knowledge. It involves honesty, attentiveness, and patience with the complexity of the world. It involves selflessness to not exploit the world in any degree as an expendable commodity. Most importantly, Wirzba says, is love. “We cannot properly know or live in the world if we do not share in the divine love that brings it into being and that sustains it and leads it into its perfection.” ...

Based off the article "How Carbon Tax Works" by Sarah Dowdy There are two primary methods that are advertised as an economic way to reduce carbon emissions. The first is cap and trade, which is currently put in place to regulate sulfur dioxide emissions. In this method, an overall cap is put on the amount of emissions that are allowed, and industries may buy and sell emission allowances. The second method is the carbon tax. The carbon tax puts a price on the carbon itself. The tax may be applied at the level of the consumer, the producer, or the manufacturer. Places that have implemented a carbon tax have done so at the level of the consumer. My problem with this is that it is not adequately addressing the issue of pollution because it is not directly attacking the source. Consumers in an area where a carbon tax is being administered may not have a choice but to live in that area that may not have access to clean energy. The increased price of energy to the individual consum...

Based off the essay "Limits to Growth" by Donella and Dennis Meadows In Limits to Growth, the central point of discussion is the lack of arable land. This relates to the fact that they view the primary issue with a large and increasing global population as the scarcity of food that will come with trying to feed them. This is widely accepted as the main concern of overpopulation. However, they neglect to mention the fact that overpopulation is an issue because of a worldwide lack of resources, that is, not only food. They mention briefly at the end of the excerpt about the increasing need for fresh water. There is also the need for fresh air. Both fresh water and fresh air will become less plentiful resources as the population nears carrying capacity, due largely in part to the fact that the globe is compensating for the excess population by trying to produce more food, and polluting the air and water resources in the process.

Based of Paul Elrich's essay, "The Population Bomb" In Erlich’s Population Bomb, possible “solutions” to the population problem are introduced. These solutions (which Erlich makes a point to note were suggested by not him, but his colleagues), were what most rational people would consider extreme. In any discussion about population control, “extreme” measures must be considered. The degree of extremity is often exaggerated due to the fact that human lives are being essentially bargained for; any solution that is proposed will be considered harsh because the entire point is to lead to an overall decrease in the human population. There are two categories of solutions; prezygotic and postzygotic. Prezygotic measures are less extreme, and decrease the population growth rate by decreasing the birth rate. One such measure discussed in the reading is introducing a chemical into the water system that would lead to sterility. The book also suggests a postzygotic measure (involv...

Based off Chapter 4 of Humans in the Landscape Over two sections in chapter 4, the principles of disproportionality and interdependence are covered. The disproportionality aspect mainly lies with the fact that the ratio of consumption to waste in America is 1:35 pounds. Even omitting the disproportionality factor of worldwide distribution of wealth and resources this is a ridiculous number. The other primary topic covered is that of dependence, independence, and interdependence. The life highlights of three different historical figures are used to illustrate the idea of “a world without edges” and the “stationary man”: Gilbert White, Henry David Thoreau, and Don Gifford. They all stood out in the fact that they contrasted with the societal trend of interdependence on technologies and the crossing of borders and scales. Reading through this chapter, I expected to be presented with possible remedies to the issue of blurry borders and the amount of waste produced because of them, but ...

Based off Chapter 6 (pt 2) of Humans in the Landscape  This section of the chapter concerning the most successful species concerns the development of society and culture, arguably the things which are the reason for the claim in the first place. The agricultural revolution can be cited as the source, as it is the reason for the development and subsequent prevalence of permanent settlements as opposed to nomadic groups. The same trend that applied to permanent and complex natural systems (an increase in biodiversity) came to apply to societal systems as well (in terms of culture and organization). The surplus produced from farming led to the development of a division of labor and a class system (bureaucracy, possibly as result of irrigation). Each member of the sedentary society began to fall into individualized roles, which in turn became a variety of jobs, which (with an increase in leisure opportunity), became culture, and society as we know it was born. An analogy is made in t...

Based off Chapter 6 (pt 1) of Humans in the Landscape Humans and the Food Web Photosynthesizing organisms are the most common in the general food pyramid, followed by herbivores, then omnivores, with carnivores being the most rare at the top of the food chain. However, humans have become the exception. They are an omnivorous species that has used evolution to its advantage. The products of evolution that allowed for bigger brains, bipedalism, tool usage and fire mastering has allowed us to climb to the top of the food chain. This fact puts a far greater stress on environmental resources. Controlling Resources Technical advances and the shaping of modern society have allowed us to “enlarge the carrying capacity” of environments to suit our needs relating to sustenance. However, these “advancements” have come at a cost. Things such as pesticides, GMOs, the Industrial Revolution, and artificial selection have caused general environmental issues like pollution, climate change, tro...

Based off an excerpt from The Human Footprint: A Global Environmental History by Anthony Penna This article deals mainly with the natural, meteorological, and geological causes pertaining to evolution. The first major event that set evolution in motion was the forming and subsequent breaking of Pangea. Many species went extinct when Pangea formed, but its separation led to speciation that increased the biodiversity of the planet. Next was the closing of the Strait of Gibraltar, cutting off the Mediterranean Sea from the cool Atlantic currents. This resulted in evaporation and a loss of salt that meant the freezing point of oceans increased. This led to an increase in glacier formation and a cooler global climate. This resulted in the contraction of the African rainforests and enlarging of savannahs, where the first humans came to be. The article also goes onto talk about the growth of human intelligence as humans evolved larger brains. This is evident from the increase in skull size...

Gary Snyder’s Turtle Island is an eloquent collection of poems and passages that convey the dynamic between the natural world and the rapidly changing world of human civilization. It delves deeply into the history of the distant friendship (one might even say kinship) that Native Americans enjoyed with their natural environment. It delves into myths of creation and religion to outline the origin and explain the disconnect between man and our home. The overarching message that is being conveyed in Snyder’s Turtle Island is the need for respect. We as humans must first be made aware of the lack of regard for nature before becoming motivated to correct our actions. The gross disrespect that we have showed towards our home is outrageous, as is brought to light when one considers the traditions of those who had true friendship with the land, and shared in a truly mutualistic relationship with the ecosystem. The respect that must be given to the natural world is neither slight nor frivol...

In the Light of Reverence; Protecting America’s Sacred Lands is a documentary film outlining the struggles of three different groups of indigenous peoples whose territory is being violated by today’s America. The forced recession of the Native Americans’ land had no regard for the land itself, or the people’s connection with it. Native American spiritualism and religion involves close ties with nature and the earth, so they consider all land to be sacred domain. However, some sights hold specific significant cultural value to certain tribes. This is far from accounted for by those who stole the land from the people that originally lived and worshiped in it.  The stories of three different Native American tribes were told in the film. The Lakota tribe of the Sioux people are fighting to protect a natural religious cultural monument from those who would thoughtlessly use it for recreation.  The second case explored is that of the Hopi tribe, who are fighting to preserve the...

There have been, throughout time and across cultures, an innumerable plethora of “explanations” for how humans and the world came to be. Those who tell the stories tailor them to fit into their cultures. However, most every creation myth shares a certain number of commonalities. First, light is usually the first thing that comes into being or is created. This represents the idea of cosmos coming from chaos, or ordered reality replacing utter pandemonium. This is the most prevailing commonality throughout stories of creation. Another common theme in creation is the idea of a male and female personification of the ground and the sky. The phenomenon that has come to result from this pattern dubs them Mother Earth (from which came Mother Nature) and Father Sky.

In the discussion of religion, ecology, and the synergy between the two, a primary focal point to be considered is that of language. This is especially relevant with regards to the intersecting point of origin between religion and ecology: creation myths. It is possible to split language into two definitive and binary categories: prozaic language and poetic language. Prose refers to the language of definitions and explanations. It is often a mechanical arrangement of facts, figures and results. This is the language of the scientific method, the ‘APA’ format. Poetry, on the other hand, is an artistic use of language. It is more open-ended, often having a cadence or a rhyme scheme. This artistic use of language can be attributed to the origin of myth. Myths are a form of art. While creation myths are often cited as  an explanation for creation.  However, it has been argued that myths cannot actually be called an explanation because of the most common interpretations of the wor...

Being in the Presidential Leadership Program, and a leadership minor, I have learned my fair share already about what it means to be a leader. That being said, I have also learned more and more about the environment through this class. What the environment needs to be saved is a excellent leadership. Now when I say this I do not mean one singular person who takes control and forces change in our society, I mean everybody practicing leadership by themselves. This would fall most under the category of servant-leadership. Servant-leadership is defined by the leader doing their best to fit the needs of the followers. In this scenario the follower would be nature and the leader would be you. These strategy would involve everyone and would help eliminate bystander effect when talking about the environment. If everyone followed this idea of helping out the environment any way they could then the world would be a lot better off for it.

Mountain biking is a sport like very few others. You can achieve blazing speeds zig zagging through trees all while being surrounded by nature. This sport helps more people get outdoors that normally wouldn't and connects them to their own back yard. However, is this sport ethical? The bikes disturb the soil when they ride by, often time shooting it back and into the air. The process of making trails involves moving leaves, packing the soil, and sometimes even bringing to soil in to add features the the trail. As we learned in this class and I will practice religiously on the AT this summer is leave no trace. Mountain biking does not follow this idea because it is obvious when there are mountain bike trails around. However, I feel as if the benefits of connecting more people to nature out weight the cost on this instance. So bike on and use leave no trace standards next time you do anything outside.

In high school I was actually able to read the Epic of Gilgamesh for one of my classes. Being one of the oldest if not the oldest piece of literature in the world I thought it was very interesting to say the least. This book focuses on the adventures of Gilgamesh trying to find eternal life. The fact that this is what the plot is based on shows that for thousands of years humans have been fascinated by living forever. This myth also shows that a certain connection and set of morals involving the environment was also present. Certain things people did to the world around them were seen as disrespectful and consequential. With no idea of global warming at the time or pollution, people still knew what was right for the environment and what wasn't. This shows to me that humans have an natural connection to the world and should know what is right and what is wrong.

In this blog I wanted to talk about a new kind of spiritually aware person, a secular naturalist. This is a term I've made up to describe the people who feel very connected to nature spiritually but do not identify with a certain religious group. This group of people in my head are often young and have in many cases grown up with religion but grew apart from it as they became older. I think this Secular Naturalist is a term that defines a lot of the people in the class. My classmates were never shy about opening up about their religion or lack there of. They often times said that they felt a spiritual connection when in nature but never connected it to a religion. This is why my new term Secular Naturalist will catch on and may soon become the leading religion near you.

Perhaps one of my favorite films that we've watched this semester is the documentary about the Aboriginals in Australia. The film focused on the heart-breaking story of these indigenous Australians and their struggle to survive. These tribes are often reduced to less than ten people and often times have to link up with other tribes to complete ceremonies correctly. I thought this particular documentary was cool because it showed these struggles in depth instead of pretending they didn't exist. By looking into the lives of the last native speaker or the last painter of the rocks, we were able to fully see what it is like to be in their shoes. And unfortunately it seems hopeless. However, these natives have their own land to live in, freedom to practice their religion openly and access to food water and shelter. So in this sense, the natives can ask for little more. They are simply at the mercy of how many of the young decide to enter normal society. This showing was heart-breaki...

This blog will talk about a physclogical effect known as the bystander effect. This idea claims when someone needs help, people are less likely to help them when other people are around. This is likely due to the idea that someone else will do it. As the name suggests they act like a bystander. I believe this is directly translatable to being more environmentally aware. When choosing between the better environmental option or the easier option, it is often times too easy to just take the path of less resistance. Often times people think that their one small action will have little to no effect on the earth in the long run. However if everyone thinks this, we are doomed for sure. The trick to beating this effect is to truly value your contribution to the environment. Knowing that what you do matters is a sure fire way to increase your chances of doing it again.

Around 8:30 everyday, the CNU grounds crew begins to cut the grass outside of my dorm room. Nearly everyday this happens. It must use an incredible amount of gas and man power but they sure do a good job. However at what costs? Sure the campus looks good and more people are likely to consider coming here, but it is worth it? Along with this and our campus's horrible recycling statistics we are not very environmentally aware. It saddens me to think that my college is only adding to the problems that our Earth is experiencing. In the future I would love to see more recycling bins on campus and perhaps a more ecologically friendly campus.

This blog will talk about the movie we watched in class in the light of the reverence. This movie focused on the struggles of three different Native American tribes. These tribes all had run ins with Americans who in one way or another wanted to use their land or their resources. I think that what we have done as a country to these native people of our land is one of the worst atrocities known to man. European immigrants basically wiped out an entire race of humans and yet, it is rarely talked about. Even today as the film shows we are trying to use their sacred places for petty things life rock climbings. It is unfortunate to say the least and I feel as if the Native Americans should have full rights to their own land.

In this blog, I'm going to talk about how my thoughts on my specific section of the Ecology of Eden. My section of the book dealt heavily with gardens and the reason they are so popular. The main reason the book listed is because it is desirable for a human to want to control nature. By having a garden,  a person is able to do that for that one specific section of Earth. This makes a lot of sense to me. I have always been fascinated by bonsai trees and I think a lot of that has to do with the fact that I can mold it however I like. The question I would like to present is this ethical? Is the purposeful manipulation of nature ethical, or is it not right to use nature in whatever way you want. I argue that using a garden is an example of an ethical way to use nature but the principles behind it are questionable to say the least.

For another class we read a book titled Milky Way Railroad. This book is supposed to teach the lessons of The Lotus Sutra but with the target audience as children. The books main characters are cats and they are on a train that is flying through space. The book goes along their journeys, with chapters being dedicated to each stop and the characters they meet along the way. One of the stories reminded me a lot of some of the Native American stories that many of us wrote about earlier in the semester. The story in this book was about a scorpion. This scorpion was getting chased by a mongoose. During this chase the scorpion decided to fall into a hole and die rather then be eaten by the mongoose. After doing so, the scorpion felt horrible about his actions. He felt as if he had taken a meal away from the mongoose and his life energy was just going to wasted. He felt so bad that he burst into flames and began to light up the night sky, becoming a constellation. This reminded me of the Nati...

In just a few short weeks I will be embarking on a two week journey on the Appalachian trail. This journey will take me through the hills of Tennesse and Virginia. On this trip I will be joined by classmates but leaving behind technology. In this journal I just wanted to share what my hopes are for the class and what I can learn about the spirituality of the trail. First, I'd love to have this journey teach me how to be less dependent on my phone. Hopefully being in nature like this will show me that it really is not necessary. The second thing I'd like to try to find on the trail a little bit more of myself. I'm dying to know what I will discover about myself and if I will see things in a different light after it. Overall, I'm incredibly excited just to experience something so pure and exciting at the same time.

One of the most important texts in Buddhism is the Lotus Sutra. In this book, it often times portrays animals in a often varying light. This includes sometimes referring to them as able to become divine where other times it lists them as a part of the four evil realms. However the Buddhist religion is often seen as being very peaceful. This violence and slander against animals in the text is one that could be seen as extremely upsetting by today's settings. I bring this up to ask the question, are animals treated better now then they were centuries ago? Now there are rules and regulations to how humans can go about interacting with animals. However before these rules were in place animals were still being used by humans both ethically and unethically. So when did animals have it better, 0000 AD or now?

In the book, Turtle Island, a collection of poems were take a stance on the issues that the environment is facing today. A theme that was reoccurring in these poems was not being afraid to criticize ones own countries for its actions and crimes against the environment. Often times it is very difficult to take a step back and look at how your own group affects something that you care about, whether it be in a good way or a bad way. This process of critical self reflection is one that is even harder to do with yourself. This sort of looking into the mirror to evaluate your actions is a hard conversation to have with yourself. However it is important to evaluate what you as an individual can do to make the world a better place. If more people were to act in this way, then changing the course of climate change is a doable action.

I've seen some recents posts on instagram that have a very strong ecological message. These posts are designed to raise awareness for specific topics. The two most recent that I remember were about ocean pollution and trees. These posts often scare the viewer about the state of our world then end with them asking to have the viewer share the post. Dozens of the people I follow reposted it and probably felt good about their actions. However, these reposts are really the bare minimum. There is actually no change being done. These types of posts are so popular because it is incredibly easy to share it. Unfortunately, more then just raising awareness needs to be done in order to help our planet survive.

Easter is a religious holiday that is celebrated by Christians all around the world. In America, people dress up, go to church, and spend time with their families. They often do these things dressed in brightly colored clothes. My wondering is why the brightly colored clothes? The first thought that comes to mind is the time of year. It is during the middle of spring when plants are blooming and babies are being born from all sorts of species. This time of year is often depicted as bright and sunny, much like the blooms of the flowers. This is the first reason I could think of the brightly colored clothes. The second reason is more rooted in the nature of the holiday. On this day Jesus rose from the dead and essentially came back to life. This is the opposite of a funeral where people are dressed in all black. I wonder if this coming to life is the reason for the brightly colored attire of Christians or it is simply because that is the time of year it is.

Today marks the day that each year, people celebrate the Earth. This includes spending more time outside, being in nature, and posting about it online. Unfortunately, even on this day people will pollute the Earth that is so valuable to them. My question is, does having an Earth Day suggest that it should only be celebrated one day a year? The same thing is argued often about Black History Month. I've heard some people argue that having the month makes it seem like it is almost insulting, and some think it suggests that black history should only be celebrated in one month. Obviously, like Earth Day, this is not true as both should be celebrated year round. But the question still lingers on, is everyday Earth Day?

This semester, I took Geography of Human-Environmental Interaction, Intro to Environmental Studies, and Religion and Ecology. Both the geography and environmental studies classes were very similar; often times we would discuss current events and I would leave the class feeling saddened but determined to make the planet healthy again. With this class, I truly appreciated the difference compared to the other two. This class, because of the religion, was not as direct, and focused a lot on how we can find peace in nature and religion together, and not focusing on the destruction of nature like the other two classes. It was very interesting to take all three at the same time, but I enjoyed the experience.

I have been thinking about the ways that many eastern cultures worship their food and water, and how special these resources are because they are not just handed to them. I wish that the western society could find a way to be more grateful for the things we receive, instead of just constantly consuming without a second thought.

In my Environmental Studies class, we were learning about the importance of different species to a community, and how although it might not be completely religious, it still has a similar emotion towards it. I think that this is interesting in correlation with viewing ecological ties to religion in this class, and seeing that it happens worldwide.

My favorite class was when we watched  In the Light of Reverence,  simply because I think it is important to acknowledge other cultures and religions, especially those of Native American heritage. I enjoyed learning about the religious aspects of their lands, and why it is important to respect that.

             An interesting topic I learned about in one of my other classes was the overfishing of Menhaden. Menhaden are a keystone species, and are often fished for the use of their oils, but not for consumption by humans. The issue with the overfishing of this species is caused by their diets and the zooplankton they consume. Most fish in the Atlantic consume phytoplankton, but the menhaden consume zooplankton, and if they continue to be overfished then the zooplankton populations will rise, which in turn causes algal blooms and red zones in large bodies of water, which is negative for many different species. This was interesting to learn about because of the impact one species can have on a whole ecosystem.

In the Geography class I took this semester, one of the topics we learned about was the Dakota Access Pipeline. This pipeline transports oil from North Dakota to facilities in Illinois. The part of the pipeline that goes under the Missouri River in North Dakota has started significant protests from indigenous rights advocates and environmentalists. Due to these protests, President Obama had stopped the construction of this portion of the Dakota Access Pipeline that was located too close to the water supply of the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe. Despite protests, President Trump changed Obama’s policies and ordered construction to be resumed on the pipeline, and the transfer of oil began through the Great Plains. I thought this was interesting in comparison with the documentary  In the Light of Reverence.  Often times we overlook this issue, yet I think we should take a step back and respect the land that belongs to others as well.

A book I had read for another class was  The Battle Over Hetch Hetchy.  This book is a very informative novel describing the whole procedure of creating and building the “most controversial dam”, starting with the reasons why it was proposed, to the effort and time that went in to constructing such a debatable barrier. To begin, everything in the book was new information that I was eager to learn, as I never knew such a big part of the West Coast’s history included this decision. I found it very interesting that there were not two, but three sides to the decision of creating the dam; the Sierra Club was adamant about conserving the valley, while the city of San Francisco were desperate for a direct water source to the city. On top of both, the third position was the private industry behind the whole thing; these people did not care about the conservation of the valley or whether or not San Francisco would get a direct water source, they only cared about the income they would g...

In the Environmental Studies class that I was enrolled in this semester, we learned about John Muir, a naturalist in the late nineteenth century. Comparing Thoreau and Muir, it can be seen that they are very similar people because they both cared immensely for the environment, and figured that what they were doing would help others to see that it is beneficial to the environment. The differences between Muir and Thoreau are that Thoreau was a lot more intense with his way of wilderness living, while Muir was not on that level of extremity. Muir gained his popularity through being the founder of the Sierra Club, popularizing Yosemite, and leading the National Park System to creation. This is a much more laid back and relaxed way of expressing the appreciation for nature and environment, compared to the isolation that Thoreau expressed.

In a different class I am enrolled in this semester, we read  Walden  by Henry David Thoreau. My reaction to this reading and Thoreau was that I saw him as despising the ways that society has changed the human race, and wanted to remove himself from the same repetitive pattern that everyone else’s days were consumed of. He noticed the increase in new production, which is a given considering the fact that this was during a major part of the Industrial Revolution. He was afraid that the meaning of life would be lost in the fast production of new materials, people so caught up in the idea of whether they could, and not stopping to think about whether or not they should be changing the world at the rate that it was being changed. I initially thought I wouldn’t be agreeing with Thoreau, but that quickly changed as I read deeper into his essays.

In another class I am taking this semester, we discussed the idea of “rewilding”, which is basically restoring the world to its “natural” state. In my opinion, I do not think that restoring the Earth to the way it was pre-human is even possible at all. There is a lot of irreversible damage that we’ve done as a continent in general, never mind worldwide. That being said, the concept of “rewilding” is not necessarily possible, nor is it a wise idea in my opinion.              This being said, I am curious to see the thoughts the rest of the class has on the idea of “rewilding”, and whether or not it is a smart decision, or even possible.

In chapter ten,  The Rivers of Eden  in Eisenberg’s  Ecology of Eden,  he discusses how humans have created walls to keep themselves and nature separate. There are different thoughts he has on this, but the most prominent is the thought that this has occurred to keep ourselves protected from the unknown. In my opinion, we are made from nature, and therefore should not be afraid of it. A wall should be made to separate human civilization from nature to keep the nature and environment safe, not the other way around. We as humans create a lot more destruction towards the environment than anything in nature could ever do to us, and therefore a barrier could be beneficial but for protection of the environment instead of protecting human kind.

My chapters from Eisenberg’s  Ecology of Eden  focused a lot on the effects that humans have had on the environment, beginning with the story of Adam and Eve and the punishment they (and humans in general) received after not obeying the word of God and taking from the environment. If we have already been punished by God, why is it that we have not learned to stop destroying our ecosystems?

From the reading  The   Ecology of Eden,  the chapter  The Fiery Sword  gives a deeper look at Eden, and why we as humans are not given the privilege of such a paradise anymore. Eisenberg talks a lot about our destruction of nature, and explaining how that is a major reason as to why we have had the privilege of paradise stripped from us.              I think that our impact on the deteriorating health of our environment is a valid reason as to why we no longer have the privilege of Eden anymore, agreeing with what Eisenberg says. In a religious viewpoint, I was curious where the rest of the class stands in opinion with Eisenberg on the topic of no longer having privilege to things as holy as a paradise such as Eden.

From the chapter  Idolizing Nature  in  From Nature to Creation,  there is lots of discussion about the fact that in the modern era, people are not sure where they stand ecologically. I think it can be safe to say that many people live their lives oblivious to the fact that the nature around them is quickly deteriorating due to the impact we as humans have on the environment. Others notice the issue, but don’t really know how help fix the what we caused. The theology and philosophy of nature in the modern Christian belief is that although nature was created by God, it is now the job of the human race to sustain it and continue our Earth’s beauty. I’m curious if others know where they stand; are you satisfied with what you do for the planet, and your relationship with it? Or do you find yourself wishing you could do more to help keep our planet healthy? Are you doing this for yourself or for God/a Higher Being?

The first part of the book  From Nature to Creation  discusses the way that Christian’s recognize nature and the world around them, and how they relate it to their religion and the world that their God has created for them. It helps give examples on how to find yourself in nature, and how to establish a better relationship with God through nature. The reading then goes into how Christian’s should idolize nature, and how that will also help with the relationship between God and human. This is an interesting read, especially because it emphasizes the importance of finding God in places other than a church. Personally, I enjoyed the read because I think that being able to sit in a church pew and hear a sermon is not hard for many people, but agree that there is more meaning in being able to find God in nature or outside of a stereotypical religious setting. The way that I was able to relate to the reading and its advice on seeking God elsewhere is what made the reading signific...

A question that was raised in class was are humans more beneficial to the environment or more harmful? I think we are more harmful. We have overpopulated our planet beyond the point that earth can handle. This has caused us to cut down billions of trees and destroy ecosystems so that we have land to live and develop on. We pollute the planet every single day with our use of fossil fuels, dumping waste into bodies of water, and throwing trash into the streets. We have manufactured GMOs that have led to the decline of species, like the monarch butterfly. There are countless other ways in which we are harming the environment. Other animals do not cause this much destruction. Earth is our home, but we treat it like it is disposable. My astronomy professor pointed out that people often incorrectly say we are killing the environment. We are not killing the environment; we are killing ourselves. The world existed before humans and will exist after humans. If we care about people, we should ...

In the article, "Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew: Insights into an Orthodox Christian Worldview," written by John Chryssavgis, the idea of creation as an icon is discussed. I found this article while I was doing research for my final paper and really liked it because it connected to a lot of what we have talked about in class. It talks about how humans are supposed to wonder at creation, but not worship it because if one were to worship nature it would move from being an icon to an idol. God did not intend for creation to be an idol because his intention was for humanity to worship Him, not the things that he created. Taking care of creation is not the same as worshiping it, but there is a distinct line that needs to be drawn so that humans do not start looking to creation instead of to God. In my opinion, creation is not looked at as an idol because humans do not care for it, instead they treat it like it was made for us and nothing else. We treat it like a toy we received ...

The article, "Green Patriarch, Green Patristics: Reclaiming the Deep Ecology of Christian Tradition," by Elizabeth Theokritoff, addresses mans place in nature. Humans should be grateful to God for his gift of creation and should praise him for it. Creation should be used by humans in a way to glorify God for what he has created. The destruction of creation is a sign of disrespect to God and a sign of the ungrateful selfish beings that humans have become. Humans are placed on earth to care for God's creation, not to exploit it for all it is worth. What happens when man chooses to not care for God's creation? In short, what happens is what is happening to the earth right now. When humans do not care for what they are given, then they reap the consequences of not caring for it. Climate change is caused by man not caring for nature and exploiting its resources in ways that cannot be replenished. Humans are guilty of taking and never giving back to God what he gave to them...

During my Ecology of Eden presentation, I talked about the rise of suburbia. I didn’t include all the information I learned, so I wanted to write about it now. Eight out of ten Americans live in a city or a suburb.   Manhattan produces less greenhouse gas emissions per capita than the suburbs of New York. This is largely due to the use of individual cars instead of using public transportation, like people do in the cities. Cities like Manhattan are expensive to live in and living in suburbs are a cheaper alternative. Like I stated in my presentation, the rise of suburbia is harmful to the environment and we need to find better ways to deal with this middle-class lifestyle. However, it is likely that we will see a decline in suburban life because Millennials have been found to prefer city life. They are happier in the city, more so than any of the older generations. Of course, cities are still not beneficial to the environment, but they do reduce the amount of greenhouse gasses i...

When looking back to the shift from the majority of my time being spent outdoors to indoors would be when I started to get interested in video games. I started with basic computer games as a kid and moved on to my handheld Nintendo DS by the age of 11. With this, I no longer spent as much time outdoors, rather I explore the outdoors of the virtual world held within my hands. It was much safe and require much less effort. I felt more powerful than I ever did being in nature - I felt like I was a god. I this development of virtual reality, man again separates himself from nature by allowing him to control the world around him at a much quicker rate and much larger scale. Who needs to pray to God when you can be one in your own world inside the place you live. If your life isn't going well you can make sure the people in the world have it the same, or worse, or even better - they can live the dreams you aren't able to. Dreams like a nice house, a nice car, or a world in which we...

From the book titled Spirit of the Environment: Religion, Value and Environmental Concern, comes the knowledge that Tao is a multifaceted concept. It means a path, road, or walkway but also the ultimate Way of the Universe for Confucians and Taoists. The fact that this one word means both mediocre street signs and everything that is in this universe is astounding. I know very little about Asian religions, however, the concept of Tao is vastly intriguing and I definitely am going to look more into this myself.

In an article by Jame Schaefer, entitled, "Responding to Small Island Nations Imperiled by Human-Forced Climate Change: An Ethical Imperative for Christians," climate change is discussed in terms of island nations and religion. Many people believe that it is their calling as Christians to care for those in need, especially those affected by climate change because climate change is human induced. While I do agree that humans should lend a hand to those in need, I do not believe that it should be specific to those of religious backgrounds. I think everyone in the world should see the effects that climate change has caused and be willing to change their ways and become better stewards to the earth. Islanders are losing their homes to rising sea levels, and in my opinion this should tell people that our ways of living are not sustainable and need to be changed. Is it even possible to change our ways of life from using fossil fuels to using more sustainable energy? Or is it too la...

Simple tasks are often treated as such instead of the joy they can or do provide. For example, when my father taught me how to fish, I thought it was more of a practical skill rather than something that we would share together in communion with nature. We would also release what we caught and have just as much fun if we didn't catch anything at all. It wasn't about the sport, it was about being together in nature. Sadly, I haven't been fishing with my father in years, instead, he usually will take my stepmom or my younger cousins, eager to ride in "Uncle Don's Fishing Boat, the 'Lucky Dog'". I stand by and allow them to venture with him so they can learn just as I did. If you give a man a fish you feed him to a day, if you teach a man to fish you feed him for a lifetime-  and provide him a way to commune with nature on one of its greatest vessels, water. The importance of nature should not be forgotten, nor should early memories of time in nature.

In the novel titled Islam and Ecology: A Bestowed Trust, authors describe a relatively new mission in the Islamic religion called the Eco-Jihad. This new ideology was spurred into existence by Muslim scholars in the mid 20th century and has gained a small following since then. It focuses on Sharia-based environmental laws. I think this is truly amazing that an entire religion, one of the largest in the world too, has turned inward to evaluate their impact on the planet. Imagine if Christianity and Hinduism also attempted this, the change we could see in the world would be extraordinary.

In the article, "Nature as a Living Icon," by Elizabeth Zelensky, the idea of creation relating to humans and nature is talked about. Humankind is the cause of nature's downfall, and also of its transfiguration. Man has caused the downfall of nature by not caring for it in the ways that God intended it to be cared for. We have taken everything we were given for granted and are now reaping the consequences. Creation cannot be altered on its own because it lacks free will, but the prayers and actions of man are able to alter it. Man needs nature, just as nature needs man. I believe that humans could have continued living in harmony with nature for years and years, but mans desire to be more and have more caused him to not care about nature and only for himself and his own needs/desires. Are humans the only cause of the downfall of nature or is there another factor that influenced the downfall of nature?

While researching for my final paper, I found some interesting ideas that did not make it into the final draft. One of the areas that Rosemary Radford Ruether studied was cultures who worshiped a goddess. Many of these were Neolithic cultures who seemed peaceful and there was equality between men and women. Even though believing in a goddess seems like it would create full equality, it did not. There were still problems with a class hierarchy. There are more inequalities that humans face other than just gender. The worshiping of a goddess often comes with women being seen as capable and powerful, but it doesn’t expose the inequalities with different socioeconomic states. Poorer people will still be seen as less than and not valued as much in society. There have been very few, if any, deities that help to lift up poor people or people of a lower socioeconomic status. While worshiping a goddess does empower women, it does not empower all people.

Gaia was mentioned throughout the book Ecology of Eden . Eisenberg did not give too much detail into who she was, so I wanted to find out more about her. Gaia is Greek goddess who is the personification of Earth. She is considered the mother of all life. From Gaia comes the Gaia theory. This theory states that Earth is a living creature that sustains itself through self-regulation. This theory is usually accepted as fact now. Many things that we believe today come from Greek mythology, but this is an especially interesting one. Gaia is mentioned all the time as “mother earth.” When we are talking about protecting mother earth, it comes from this goddess. The theory that has come about from this goddess is also mainstream now. This shows the impact that religions and mythology have on popular culture but also on scientific studies. They used Gaia as a foundation for the idea that “mother earth” is actually alive. Gaia was believed in thousands of years ago and will continue to impact ...

This post is purely my opinion on the status of the global populations awareness to the environmental crisis we are entering right now. It just boggles my mind how so many people could care so little about the very earth they live on and how much we are all effected by environmental catastrophes. Individuals are so wrapped up in their selfish lives that even the slightest effort to a sustainable and environmentally friendly lifestyle is outrageous to them. I have had this very problem with my own family, who I have tried to introduce to recycling and other small aspects of living green. "It won't make a difference, I'm just one person", "We've always done it this way, it would be too much of a hassle to change how we do things around here". Really? Would it absolutely disrupt your entire way of living to buy a recycling bin and toss plastics and glass into it throughout the week, you know, just like how you do with a regular trash can? I have become exas...

Chapter 27 of Ecology of Eden talks about places that we have not touched on this Earth. We discussed this in class, and someone brought up the point that even in places that we have not developed on, they still face the destruction from human activity. For example, Antarctica is hardly inhabited by humans, but is facing extreme threats to its environment because of climate change and global warming. Antarctica is covered by ice that stretches about seven million cubic miles. Within the past fifty years, the west coast of the Antarctica Peninsula has been one of the most rapidly warming places on the entire planet. It has warmed by three degrees Celsius. The temperature of the Southern Ocean that surrounds the continent has increased by more than one degree Celsius in fifty years. This warming causes the wildlife that live there to suffer. Some ice caps have completely collapsed. Penguins have had a decline in their populations, or they have had to relocate their colonies to more st...

Dr. Redick read us a poem that talked about “the green thing.” This really caught my attention because it highlighted being more ecofriendly and environmentally conscious as a trend. It also talked about how people were less wasteful years ago, making the inference that people are participating in this “green thing” because we are creating more waste and more pollution then we were years ago. I think we are definitely more conscious now about what we are doing, and we are trying to better it. However, the points that were made in the poem were true. Decades ago people created less waste, like reusing milk glasses. However, they were probably not as careful to create less waste as many people are today. With the rise of plastic and plastic packaging, people are left with little options other than to buy items wrapped in plastic. In the past, this would have been fine, and people would consume plastic without much thought. However, now that we are more aware of the harms of plastic and...

Dr. Redick brought up a bible passage in class that caught my attention. Deuteronomy 25:4 says, “you shall not mussel an ox when it is treading out the grain.” I had not heard this verse before, but it really made me think. I see why people would mussel an ox while it is working. It is more efficient to do so. If it keeps stopping to eat it will not be working to its full potential. However, it is a huge act of kindness to not do that. It shows that people care about animals. Like I said, it is more efficient for the people to mussel the ox, so that it gets the maximum amount of work done without stopping, but it is nicer to the ox to allow it to eat while on the job. I think this should be applied to all working animals. They should not be confined when working and should be able to eat or rest when they need to. In the end, it might produce less work from the animals, but it shows that the animals are valued and should be cared for as creations of God and not just working animals. ...

A debate that was brought up in class was that of zoos. Some people argued that zoos hurt animals because they are kept in cages and stripped from their natural habitat. Others said that the animals in zoos are kept safe and couldn’t survive in the wild on their own. I looked into it more to see what exactly zoos do for the animals that are there. Jack Hanna, the director of Columbus Zoo argues that zoos help with animal conservation. They are a safe place for animals that live in the wild and can be subjected to poaching or habitat loss. Zoos try to replicate their natural habitat and provide extra care for them, so they live harm free lives. Zoos are also the only place for some people to see certain animals and it allows people to be better educated about the different species that live in our world. On the other hand, captivating animals could be seen as treating animals inhumanly. Animals are made to live in the wild and cannot thrive like they could if they did not have boundar...

A question I have wondered is why is Israel called the Holy Land? Why is this land special to certain religions? I found out that many interactions between God and man happened in what in now modern-day Israel. This land is important to multiple religions.   It is the place where Christians believe Jesus was born, died, and was resurrected. They also believe that the majority of the Bible was written in Israel. Jews believe that Israel is the land that God gave to them. It is where many of the prophets lived. Muslims say that Israel is “blessed.” They believe this is where God took Muhammed from Mecca to Jerusalem and then to heaven. Three major religions all share a common space that is holy to them for different reasons. The land is more than just a historical place, it is a foundation for their religion. It’s not only the fact that the event happened, but where it happened. These three religions all believe in the same one God and many of the same biblical stories, so it makes...

During an Ecology of Eden presentation, an important point was brought up. We as Americans rely on fresh water to be available at all times. This is a privilege that we often do not think about or consider. I wanted to know more about just how much water we are using, so I did some research. On average, Americans use 80-100 gallons of water a day. That puts us at number one for the most water consumption per capita in the world. We are using more than double the water per capita than India. Water is used individually for a bunch of different activities. Just flushing an average toilet uses three gallons of water. Washing clothes in a washing machine uses around twenty-five gallons of water. Washing dishes by hand is calculated to be up to twenty-seven gallons of water, depending on how fast you are. A shower can use around five gallons of water a minute. So, a ten-minute shower could use fifty gallons. Our consumption of water cannot continue like this. Even though we are using this...

In the film In Light of Reverence it talks about land that is sacred to different native tribes and how it is being developed, destroyed, and used for other purposes by non-native people. This film seemed slightly outdated, so I wanted to look further into what is happening in the recent years. Something I have heard about is the Dakota Access Pipeline or DAPL, but I did not know the significance of the land to the tribe that resides there. The pipeline would start in North Dakota and go all the way down into Illinois, passing through South Dakota and Iowa. In parts of North and South Dakota is where the Sioux reservation, Standing Rock, is found. The path that the Pipeline would be installed does not directly cut through Standing Rock, but it does cut through ancestral lands which their ancestors used to hunt and fish and many of them are buried there. The pipe would damage their sacred lands. Not all land that is sacred to the Sioux or any other tribes are reserved to them. Someti...

The first poem that is written in Turtle Island is called “Anasazi.” The Anasazi are a native Indian tribe that resided in the Midwest. Gary Snyder describes how the Anasazi lived. They made their homes inside cliffs. This tribe wanted to live within nature so much that they became one with it. Snyder writes that the Anasazi are “sinking deeper and deeper in earth.” This is showing how they wanted to become so close with nature. They did not want to be a people who lived on earth, but instead who were a part of the earth. They have simple lives but are fully reliant on nature.

A quote from Ecology of Eden was discussed in class. On page 335 it says, “It may reflect the insight that leisure is meaningless without meaningful work.” I agree with this statement to a certain point. I do think that no matter what leisure is beneficial and everyone can enjoy it, no matter how hard they’ve worked; however, leisure is heightened when there is meaningful work that is done before it. Free time is more special when there is less of it. You can enjoy the time you have not doing something more when you have already done a lot and accomplishment tasks. This is why people often leisure at the end of the day and not the beginning. When you wake up, you often start getting stuff done and being productive, but by the end of the day when you’ve already worked hard and completed many things, you’re able to sit down and reflect on what you’ve already accomplished.

One of the poems in Turtle Island caught my eye. “The Dead by the Side of the Road” talks about animals that are killed because of human activity. They were all killed because of man’s inventions, whether that be a truck hitting them or a gun shot. Humans are killing animals for no reason and they are left to die by the side of the road. Humans continue to drive by without thinking twice about what they’ve done. This killing of animals has happened because of man’s development of the world. We don’t know if Native American’s would have done this much destruction if they were still the only ones on America, but it is probably safe to assume that the damage would be must less than what we are doing today. Native American’s value their land and the animals that live on that land and typically do not destroy it. American’s destroy it to benefit themselves.

Something that was mentioned in the documentary In Light of Reverence was that Native American’s often use different plants for healing and medicinal purposes. I was curious as to what some of these plants were and what they did. An interesting one that I found was the blackberry. This is obviously a common fruit that even non-natives eat. The Cherokee specifically use this berry to treat stomach aches, diarrhea, and swollen tissues and joints and to strengthen the immune system as a whole. They use different forms of the berry to treat different things. Some of the forms include tea, cough syrup made from the root, or simply just chewing on the leaves. It is interesting to think that a common berry for us is actually a medicine for some native tribes. While we just think the actual berry is the only good part of the plant, the Cherokee use other parts to heal if ways that we would not think of. 

In an article entitled, "New Heaven, New Earth: Christian Theology and Ecological Worldview," written by Rev. John Chryssavgis, the idea of human concern for the environment is addressed. He states that "human concern for the environment does not result from superficial or sentimental romanticism: it arises from our effort to honor and dignify God's creation." Humans tend to be caught up in lifestyles that use nature for their own benefit, as opposed to using nature in a non-destructive manner. I do believe that Christians view nature as a gift from God and that is the reason they believe taking care of the environment is so important, but I do not know why people that don't believe in God should care about the environment. What is the reason that drives non-Christians to care for nature? Does it make sense that some Christians do not care about God's creation or should that be viewed as sinful behavior?

My final environmentalist that I chose to look at through the lens of religion was Edward Abbey. He was the least religious person I chose, and had been said to be an atheist in some places. In a recorded quote, Abbey argued that monotheism was a setback for human life and said if there is such a thing as divinity then he must be a pantheist. It was interesting to read such a blatant statement of religious views, but from the reading I did, it appears that he was proud to call himself an anarchist and so this does align with that. While I can't use his religious views to place him in either preservationism or conservationism, his environmental terrorist acts as they can be called are definitely preservationist.  If one is willing to spike trees and rip up railroad marks I can't possibly imagine them arguing for selective and careful use of our resources. Abbey is definitely more Muir or perhaps Whitman-esque in the way that he thinks man should go out into nature and bask in it...

Rachel Carson was an important environmentalist that argued against the use of many pesticides, including the highly toxic DDT. Her religious background involved a Presbyterian mother, and apparently believed that spirituality served as a check on humanity's arrogance. A quote by her on this topic shows how important she believed spirituality to be,  “I am not afraid of being thought a sentimentalist when I stand here tonight and tell you that I believe natural beauty has a necessary place in the spiritual development of any individual or any society. I believe that whenever we destroy beauty, or whenever we substitute something man-made and artificial for a natural feature of the earth, we have retarded some part of man’s spiritual growth.”  This shows that like Muir, she thought religious language was the best way to reach America, and that using God's glory as a reason to protect nature was a good argument. Likely, this would put her in the preservationist camp, especi...

While both of the previous writers I had researched previously had defined religions that I could connect to their views, Whitman is much more loose. He is often described as a religious skeptic, but as I wrote in my research paper, he clearly uses religious terms and myths from Christianity. It is hard to place him in either camp between Muir and Pinchot, but based on "The Song of the Red-wood Tree"  and "This Compost" I would argue that he is more for careful use and conservationism than simply setting all of nature aside. He definitely seems to see the land as a place for recreation and enjoyment, but I don't think this shifts him either way. Many sources seemed to say that he accepted most religions but didn't have one specific background that he agreed with. He doesn't consider God to be that important, for while he sees the signs and letters, he leaves them on the ground according to his poetry. This all seems to come together to show an equality o...

In Chapter 27 of the Ecology of Eden, the idea of "giving nature some space" is presented. This is an interesting concept because truthfully all nature needs to be nature is time away from human alteration. We have to allow our agricultural fields time to heal after a harvest before we can plant another crop in its place, just as we have to move our animals from field to field so that the grass can grow back. If we overuse nature, we will not be able to continue to use nature to our benefit. I think that time alone benefits everyone, from humans to nature to animals, everyone needs time to themselves to collect their thoughts and heal. Was it beneficial for humans to intrude into nature or would nature have ultimately done better without human interaction?

Gifford Pinchot was a conservationist and forester who was apparently a protestant and taught Sunday School frequently. After college, his love of the outdoors became more important, although he did remain in the church. However, one does not see the same "preserving the world for God's glory" that is present in Muir. This is likely because he found his utilitarianism ideology to be more of a basis for the country's environmentalist perspective than his own religious views. While this is not anything against Muir, it is just a different way of attempting to get the public involved in the environment. Muir seemed to find it easier to use religious language, and as America has a history of being majorly Christian, using God as a reason to protect the environment seems to be a good place to start. Pinchot seems to believe that the best way to reach the majority of people is to argue for their future and their children. Neither conservationism or preservationism can reall...

Chapter 24 in the Ecology of Eden discusses how keeping with traditional ways of farming is not always the answer. In some aspects, technology can be beneficial to nature, but it can also be very harmful. Should we look to the past or to the future for ideas on how to be more environmentally cautious? In my opinion, we should do a combination of both the past and future to yield the most benefits in nature. We should use less fossil fuels and less machinery, but we should not go back to destructive ways of farming such as the slash and burn techniques of the Native Americans. I believe that moving forward, humans should start growing fresher ingredients with less pesticides and chemicals, and find a way to successfully feed everyone without the negative effects on the land. Farmers, in my opinion, should be more focused on taking care of the land and the quality of their foods, than to focus on the quantity and price they receive for them. Although, this is much harder said than done b...

In Chapter 23 of the Ecology of Eden, the idea of earth having a sort of swing and jazz to it was presented. Humans have lived on earth in nature for thousands of years, so taking people out of nature would not make nature natural. Instead, humans reflect their interactions with nature by using music. I can relate this to many songs that I have heard which use sounds of nature to form their beats. There is a sense of beauty in the songs of nature, from the trees swaying in the wind to the chirping of birds and the sound of waves crashing on the sand. Farmers that allow their farms to "play to earth's patterns" yield the best results in agriculture. Not having total control of nature is the way that nature should be. Humans do more harm than good by trying to control every aspect of farming and agriculture. Would we be better off moving towards a less controlling way of using nature or should we remain the same and continue to control every aspect possible?

[Outside Reading] Romans 1:21 When Paul talks about God, he says, his "invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made". In this, the power and essence of the divine can be observed through the wilderness. The feeling of the sublime that is often felt when man has a sensuous encounter with nature reflects the essence of God, according to the scripture. The importance of this is that nature is also God's creation, so if humans disregard and disrespect the prudence of nature, then they are discarding God's creation as having lesser value. For individuals practicing this scripture, it is essential to perceive the entire Earth as having divine quality and it should be of the upmost importance for humans to preserve and respect nature. "With every movement, every chirp, every rustle in the wind, nature is calling out to the One from whom they c...

I chose to do the topic of my own choosing on specific writers that I was interested in, more specifically their religion interacting with their ecological views. The first person that I thought of was Muir, as we have talked a lot about him both in this class and my other Environmental Studies classes. Muir is also easy to do as he is very obviously combining his love of God and the environment in his writing. He not only compares various rock structures to religious imagery such as cathedrals and altars, but said heavily religious things such as "God's love is manifest in the landscape as in a face"  (Cruise of the Corwin, P50) and that everyone needs a place to pray in. The concepts of protecting the environment are about keeping the world a place to see God's love and to connect to Him in.  His religious background was Christian, so it makes sense that most of his arguments for preservationism were based around the background he had to work with. Also, as I saw ...

[Outside Reading] Passage from the Qur'an "Throughout its vast extent in space and its long sequence of transformations in time, the universe constitutes a single, multiform, sequential celebratory event. Every being in the universe is infinitely present to and influencing every other being in the universe. Every being contributes to the magnificence of the whole" This passage from the Qur'an alludes to the web of life studied in ecology. In the web of life, all beings are connected and interact with each other in order to sustain balance and life. The ecosystem is dependent upon every creature in order to function smoothly. Humans have interrupted this web of life in many ways that has had cascading effects on several ecosystems as a whole. The more people understand these interconnections, the less likely they will be to act in hurtful ways to the environment. Religion is a good way to achieve this awareness.

Chapter 20 in the Ecology of Eden focuses on the connection between nature and culture. English landscape gardeners saw all of nature as a garden because in a sense all of nature was created or altered by humans. I completely agree with this statement because there is no longer such a thing as wilderness that has not been touched by humans. Humans have altered every part of nature through direct and indirect means. Another topic brought up by this chapter was that early American settlers believed that there was enough nature in America that they would never run out. I believe that this is still the viewpoint of many Americans because if one does not pay attention to the consequences of their actions, then they will not realize how badly nature is affected by human influence. Humans are very guilty of using nature for their own benefit and not thinking about how it could affect later generations that will live on this earth. Could humans have become such an intelligent species without t...

[Outside Reading] Dao De Jing Chapter 7 Heaven is eternal, earth is enduring.                          The reason that heaven and earth can be eternal and enduring Is because they do not live for themselves. Therefore they can live forever.        Thus the sage : Puts his self behind others, yet finds his self before them. Considers his self extraneous, yet his self survives. Is this not because he has no self-interests? Therefore he can achieve his self-interests. This passage from the Dao De Jing focuses on selflessness as the way to live and source of eternal life. Selflessness is also a concept that will support nature and limit human impact on the environment. This passage also encompasses the fact that the Earth provides life for us and other beings, therefore, we should be thankful and not live for ourselves, but live in accordance with other life as it is not solely for our...

[Outside Reading] Genesis 1:26 26 Then God said, “Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness, so that they may rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky, over the livestock and all the wild animals, and over all the creatures that move along the ground.” In this creation myth of the world from the Christian faith it sets up a power hierarchy that reflects the traditional Christian view of the extra-human. This comparison to God, gives them a god complex as being above the other and not being equal to the wilderness. This view translates to the United States now, since it is a predominantly christian culture, as we see the disconnectedness from nature and lack of importance placed on the other. Ruling over the earth gives human an increased salience of self that is reflected in individualist cultures.

Chapters 17 & 18 in the Ecology of Eden talked about how in medieval days, gardens were used as a wall between the outside world and the home. People believed that they were safe when they were enclosed in the walls of a garden. When inside of an enclosed space, there is no need for fear of the outside world. In medieval times, people avoided the outside world because of disease, but nowadays, it seems that humans avoid the outside world to avoid contact with nature. A child would much rather be inside on a sunny day playing video games than be outside playing in the grass. In my opinion, a fear of nature is a fear of God's creation. It is a fear of seeing and being in something greater than oneself. Why do people create gardens? Is it for the desire to see beauty or is it really for the desire to tuck oneself away and not have to be in nature for too long?

[Personal Choice] As I was sitting under that cascading elm on a lawn chair in the backyard of my distant family’s home, the cool breeze swept all of my worries away; no longer was I a student, no longer was I in mourning, no longer was I in a far away world -- I was eternally present. Without the shouts and cries of my unadorned family I was in a place of sensuous peace. Alone; or so I thought, away from the demanding requests of others to play the part, speak, share, and aid in the desiderata of other folk. I was not alone, however, far from it; it was exactly that presence of the other that filled my loins with the ethereal sense of the sublime. Life has never been simple, with the pressures from the social world to be the best, indulge, and consume in my desires. What I learned in that moment was obstructive to my view of the world, Life was simple. -Zach Swanson