Reflecting on the words of Goodall, Hudson, and Maynard- Colloquium Post 3

“Healing Earth’s Scars: It’s Never Too Late” by Jane Goodall, Gail Hudson, and Thane Maynard was a much more optimistic writing than Vandana Shiva.   Although their topics were similar, their perspectives were much different.  Shiva seemed to present humanity as lost and far from the ways of our ancestors which were more diverse in the knowledge of the world around us.  Goodall and colleagues seemed to except the ways of man as naturally inevitable due to the need to progress but viewed education and science as an answer to the issues that now endanger the future of our planet. Shiva presented facts and arguments while Goodall presented possibilities.   I greatly enjoyed reading about the many different individuals and organizations that rose to the challenge to clean and restore the natural environments that were downtrodden and sickly.   I was amazed how resilient nature could be even after the extreme conditions that many environments had to endure.  I was very impressed how Goodall assisted in restoring the Loess Plateau in Gombe by educating and restoring hope to the people indigenous to the area.  These were the very same people that were causing the damage to the environment but instead of condemning them, Goodall made them part of the solution. It turned out to be a win-win situation for both the humans and the chimpanzees.  I believe that if we are to be successful in preserving our future, we all need to be part of the solution by become more aware through education and through the use technology to adapt more environmentally friendly ways to live.  We have to change our belief that it’s us against nature and understand that we are and always have been part of nature and now need to take responsibility in taking care of the world.  After all, we do consider ourselves as the smartest species on the planet.

Reflecting on the Writings of Vandana Shiva- Colloquium Post 2

 Vandana Shiva presented a very persuasive argument of how biodiversity is not just important but crucial for the survival of humanity and the planet as a whole.  Vandana Shiva states,“ Biodiversity is the very fabric of life—it provides the conditions for life’s emergence and maintenance, and the many different ways in which life is expressed”.  Shiva presented a perspective that I had not previously considered which was how biodiversity and cultural diversity has been greatly damaged by globalization.  I always considered that globalization increased cultural diversity by allowing the world to share their cultures, knowledge, and beliefs with one another. I knew that biodiversity was being damage but was more due to overpopulation and consumption of resources. Shiva describes how globalization has actually decreased diversity by dictating what crops are to be grown, what livestock to be raised, and what type of medicine is to be acceptable and ingested.  What greatly surprised me, was the incredibly narrow scope of practice that we use for farming and livestock.  I always believed that our choices in farming and livestock had increased due to the introduction of new livestock and plants from so many different cultures but instead, because of specialization, are choices have dwindled down to only a small percentage of what use to be available to us.  I had a sense of sadness when I realized that our world is, in a way, less than it was before.  Medicine in the western world has also become so specialized and controlled that alternative methods are being accepted less and less. Many of these methods are cultural based with beliefs and practices that have been around for thousands of years and have had diverse knowledge of the plants and roots around them.  Only to be overshadowed by western medicine in a matter of a century.  I myself put a lot of faith in science and western medicine but I personally believe that there are many benefits and possibilities with ancient / alternative medicines. Western medicine seems to want to give you a pill for everything.  By the time you start to enjoy your golden years, you have a grocery list of meds that will eventually kill you due to renal and liver disease.  We have, as a society, become technologically advanced, but we lost so much knowledge and possibilities in the process, knowledge that could have been an asset to our future and to our children’s future.

My Sense of Place- Colloquium Post 1

My current “sense of place” is one of displacement and detachment from nature and the natural world around us.  I believe that the reason that I feel displaced is due to the fact that I grew up in a very different environment than the one I live in now. 

The first twenty four years of my life I lived in or around the Canadian Laurentian Mountains which, at the time, was pretty much untouched by developers and commerce.  I grew up with the nature all around me and I am better for it.  To have moose or deer on my front lawn was a common occurrence.  Raccoons, foxes, and porcupines could always be glimpsed while driving down the road.  Summers were spent exploring the woods around me, following the old farmer fences to some great adventure.  I still remember the sound of the trees as their leaves moved within the breeze and how the sun and shadows danced on the forest floor.  I used to spend hours watching the fish in the shallow waters by the edge of the lake hoping for a “the big one” to pass by.

      

I haven’t seen those woods for over fifteen years now and I wonder at times if they still stand.  I have had similar connections with nature with my travels to other states and to South America but I feel far from nature here in Florida.  Maybe it’s because Southwest Florida’s ecosystem is so different from the others that I’m so familiar with or maybe because my access to the untouched portion of Florida is limited to state parks and preserves.  I know that the Everglades are close but they seem so hostile to someone who is unfamiliar with such an environment.  

    

I believe that Colloquium class will be an educational opportunity that will not just reaffirm my love for nature but will also educate me on the dangers that our expanding population has created.   I have been so busy living my life that I had chosen to ignore the issues of environment that seem to be all around us.  I will welcome the chance for a new perspective, a perspective that is once more aware of our natural world and the issues that threaten our future.