The land ethic simply enlarges the boundaries of the community to include soils, waters, plants, and animals, or collectively: the land... In short, a land ethic changes the role of Homo sapiens from conqueror of the land-community to plain member and citizen of it. It implies respect for his fellow-members, and also respect for the community as such.” -Aldo Leopold
One of my favorite biologists, authors, and modern philosophers (if I may) is Aldo Leopold. Although this statement from "The Land Ethic" was published in 1949, the idea he offers here would arguably still be considered radical here over 60 years later. But even in 1949, this was not a novel idea.
A few years ago I spent some time working in Hawai'i with a small non-profit organization called Hawai'i Wildlife Fund, and I learned that the Hawaiians had long since had a similar idea of nature and their place in it. I had probably known Hannah, the president of H.W.F., for less than an hour when she started to explain to me that conservation work was very different in Hawai'i. Traditionally, Hawaiians did not consider themselves stewards, they saw themselves as a piece of the ecosystem, not some overlord over it. I really liked that mentality. I thought it forced you to think about things in a more holistic sense.
And this brings me to why I don't like the term "steward". The word steward can refer to a designated official for overseeing and organizing, as well as looking after something. At first this sounds like a fine idea, but I think it's sort of a dangerous line of thought. Looking at it this way I feel that you jeopardize seeing yourself as separate from the ecosystem that you are looking after. It may enable you to "do your part" or whatever, but as soon as it gets uncomfortable or politically challenging you can step out.
But that's just the thing. You can't step out of your ecosystem, really. You're ALWAYS part of it. No matter where you are or how far away you are from the woods, you are part of an ecosystem. In fact, unless you're completely self sustained on your own property, you're probably part of several ecosystems simultaneously. But that's the cool thing! You get to be part of this. Your actions have direct consequences, both positive and negative, and you can't escape. That doesn't mean you have to constantly over think things and live in guilt though.
If we were to go back in time we would find that most cultures would also see things in this way. Us folks here in the rural south probably understand this pretty well, despite what some folks might want you to think :). So, in what ways are you tied to this planet? Do some brainstorming and mull it over, some things are less obvious than others.
You can still be a steward if you like, but never, ever, ever forget that you are part of this. You are more than a steward. In a way we are all captains of this "ship", and we will go down with her should she sink. On a positive note, we can steer her to some degree, so long as the winds are in our favor. So let's step back, plot a course, and see where we can go.
Chimney Tops, Great Smoky Mountains. Because I like them.
Interesting...you know, this can be a sticky subject for people of the Christian faith, because the Bible indicates that God gave humans dominion over nature. I think it's important to remember that just because we have dominion doesn't mean that we're chief overlords, because we are just as much a part of creation as the part of creation we are trying to help (or harm).
ReplyDeleteAgreed. We are still tied to it, and we can't forget that. I've met fellow Christians who sincerely believe we can exploit the earth in any way, and that God will protect us from harming it. That's a scary thought process. it's quite obvious that we can harm the planet in ways that come back to bite us in the butt.
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