Relgion and Ecology 2021

 In Chapter 24 of Ecology of Eden, we looked at the Westernized view of indigenous Americans.  Thanks to the wonderful presentation today, it was made clear that there was a distinct dichotomy between American settlers and indigenous cultures:  To white settlers, America was wild. To Americans (native), the land was already cultivated.  Why the difference in viewpoints? In the class discussion, we talked about how the native populations were dying off before settlers came. This abandoned America would have looked "untouched" to the untrained European eye.  However, I think that the answer is much more complex than that. I think that the difference between white settlers and Americans, in terms of land viewpoints, is power.  I am not saying that white settlers were more powerful than American natives. Rather, Europeans view land as the physical manifestation of power. If we turn back to the Middle Ages, the Edict of Minton (1215 A.D.) took land away from pea...

 Hello all,  This is my first blog post, and I am challenging myself to write a blog post for every single day until I reach the fifteen-count mark! For my first blog post, I wanted to write about the age-old concept of The Tower.  In this class, we have learned that the tower is the symbol of the urban environment. It is a metaphorical acropolis that can be seen and embodied by any city. The tower is responsible for the shaping of norms, values, and religious beliefs/practices.  While the tower is deeply-rooted in the human-made environment, the tower cannot stand without the natural counterpart: the mountain. To destroy the tower is to destroy the cultural/religious value of the mountain. And vice-versa, to destroy the mountain is to destroy the tower, as the tower relies on the mountain for resources. In "Ecology of Eden," we see Bronze-age cultures show the symbolic mutualism between the tower and mountain in Chapter 11 with the Sumerian myth of Enmerkar.  I...

 Following Sydney's presentation today, I continued to reflect on Planet Fetishers and Planet Managers. Eisenburg makes it clear that he believes that neither are right, and I agree with him. The example of wild horse herds out in the western United States illustrates the clash of these two approaches to nature. Horses were introduced to North America by the Spanish conquistadors (think Misty of Chingoteague but also in the south U.S. too!) and have lived here since then. Through the years adaptation has created one of the most hardy breeds in the world, and different Herd Management Areas (HMAs) managed by the BLM have herds with specific characteristics relevant to their environments. For example, many herds in Wyoming and Utah have draftier builds since many of the existing wild herds crossed with draft horses released by farmers during the 1930s when the Dust Bowl struck many US prairies. Each HMA has an Appropriate Management Level (AML) based upon the number of horses, other ...

 Evan Eisenberg's Ecology of Eden touches on almost every aspect of the human - nature and human- wilderness relationship. Thus far in the book (up to Ch. 20), Eisenberg has spent a lot of time discussing how the human relationship with nature and wilderness is exemplified in gardens. He describes gardens as being a search for Arcadia, the perfect paradise that is a mix between the human comforts of civilization and the bounty of wilderness untouched by man. Eisenberg further argues that gardens can never truly achieve this ideal of Arcadia because they inherently degrade the integrity of wilderness by taming it for human comfort. Furthermore, Eisenberg points out several cases in history where gardens are used as a method of escapism. They allow mankind to ignore the destruction of wilderness by creating a faux connection to the environment that is dictated by what humankind wants to see and experience rather than the truth.  With this background in mind, I found my self star...

 When discussing the fiery sword in the Ecology of Eden, I was reminded of the monument in Washington D.C. that depicts a fiery sword to commemorate those who died while serving in the 2nd Infantry Division of the U.S. Army while defending Paris from the German advance in WWII. If the fiery sword is a symbol of our separation from wilderness, it also is a symbol of the destruction that can be wrought against one another. The unique design of the monument reminds me of King Arthur's sword, Excalibur, and how it was used as a tool that enabled Arthur to become king and rule. Swords are tools, and perhaps the ultimate symbolism of the fiery sword is that in our hands it can yield ultimate destruction should we follow that path. While there are occurrences of battles over territory between animals in the natural world, the humans form of territorial battle, war, is wildly destructive. We have used our tools to torture, injure, and kill one another in wars that have been documented thro...

 When thinking about virtue and the ways in which we practice it, I consider how humans extend virtue (or don't) to animals. I feel that humans can become so caught up in productivity and tools that we forget that extrahumans still have inherent value and worth beyond their usefulness to humans.To practice our own virtue I think we need to consider the virtue of other creatures. Ways in which we can do this is by respecting the space of wild animals and not barging in on their territory. A way in which we humans feel a further divide from the natural world is no longer understanding how it communicates. We use our level of intelligence as a measure to evaluate other animals without realize that while they may not be able to build a rocket, many species organize themselves into complex social networks and are astute hunters. Something that always grinds my gears is to see pet owners who absolutely do not understand how their pets communicate. For example, many dogs bark at people pa...

      This chapter starts off by explaining how Canaanites fed themselves. A subclass of Canaanite farming is Israelite farming reminded me of the discussion in class about Dr. Redick's garden. The Israelites deforested their Mediterranean home with big animal-drawn plows. This was a different system than the previous farmers who used sheep and goats. Dr. Redick in class explained how he prefers to use his own hands to work his soil in preparation for planting. This method is preferable since it enables him to stay connected with the soil, worms, and bugs of that ecosystem. As farming progressed to the use of plows, people were less connected with the process of feeding themselves. This theme has progressed so much through human history that now some people don't even know what a cow looks like, though they consume cow products.     Another point I've taken from this chapter is how ecology influences the farming, hunting, and gathering processes of the Israelite...

During this class, I began to think of the psychological concept of nature versus nurture. This concept typically refers to people's personality traits and/or characteristics and how they are impacted by nature (physical nature or experiences) or through biological factors. I'm curious about how nature versus nurture could impact people's views/actions/perspectives of nature and/or the environment. Personally, I believe both biological factors, physical nature, and my experiences have shaped me to become such an environmentalist. I do believe that my experiences have influenced my view of nature more than anything, for experiences do play a major role in everyone's life and in every aspect.  Discussion question: Do you personally believe your view of nature was impacted by nature or nurture? 

 In another course I'm currently enrolled in (English 326: Writing for the Environment), we have been reading a novel known as Environmental Communication and the Public Sphere. This novel discusses the importance of practicing proper environmental actions, proper communication skills, and a mixture of the two (good environmental and communication skills). One of the major ways this novel discusses environmental communication is through reading and writing but especially writing. The authors of this novel emphasized the importance of conveying a message through your environmental story/topic. This reminded me of our course for we emphasize the relationship between environment and otherworldly concepts (usually religion).  Discussion question- How can religion, communication, and the environment work together to overall improve the healthiness of the environment?

 During Isabel's presentation on Chapters 5-6 of Ecology of Eden, she brought up a very valid point that I never truly thought of- what is nature to you? So often, I think people assume that we all see and view nature as a particular sight (for example, the beach or the mountains or the woods). Before coming to college, I definitely saw nature as the beach and the mountains, however, that all began to change once I declare an environmental study major with political science and leadership minor. Once exploring all the classes I've taken, I began to see nature as something separate from nature. Meaning, I began to see nature as something that has not been touched or manipulated by society. However, as I have learned in many college courses, nature and society need to work together and lean on one another to build a healthy, sustainable relationship. 

 One of my favorite hobbies and interests includes yoga and meditation for they bring out a sense of relaxation, especially in stressful times. As I'm in a state of meditation and participating in yoga, I tend to pray or clear my head. I'm not exactly sure if this directly correlates with Christianity, however, I have implemented it into my daily religious practices. I wonder if there is a specific religion that incorporates meditation and yoga besides Buddhism. How is this beneficial towards one's self but also possibly nature and the religion?

When thinking about religions and their relationship with nature, one religion that seems to stand out amongst the rest is Buddhism. After researching Buddhism quite extensively, I found that one major belief followers of Buddhism emphasize is the importance of not harming nature or nature's inhabitants. Buddhists believe in the establishment of a relationship with nature, mainly through meditation and prayer to buddha. Another belief of Buddhists is the prevention/prohibition of sacrificing animals and therefore continues to build a positive and mutualistic relationship with nature. Questions- What other religions view nature in this aspect? Should more religions incorporate nature into their practices in a healthy and sustainable manner?

 In one of my other courses (English 326- Writing Imagings), we read this novel known as Silent Spring by Rachel Carson. This novel focused on pesticides, mainly the misuse and environmental damage of pesticides. This novel reminded me of our course for we always mention the environmental harm caused by various human actions. I'm curious if this novel included religious aspects involving the environment if the use of pesticides would be any different. For example, maybe there's an environmentally- based religion that focuses on establishing healthy relationships with nature through sustainable actions (no pesticides). 

 After listening to the first group of student presentations of the first few chapters of Ecology of Eden, one important concept was emphasized- the need for a mutualistic relationship between society and nature. Mutualism is a type of symbiosis where both parties (in this case organisms) benefit each other. Before these presentations, I knew we needed a relationship with nature to survive and thrive, however, I never saw it as a mutualistic perspective. This was very appealing to me because it's crucial that we benefit nature and nature benefits us. Right now, I would consider our nature to be parasitic where we (kinda) act as parasites towards nature and use nature to our advantage and end up overexploiting. 

Blog Post 7 - Class Readings 3 Week 7           This blog post is going to be about Part One from Ecology of Eden by Evan Eisenberg. Part One is titled Waves, and is overall about human progression from hunter gatherers to industrial cities. It talks about the alliance of humans and grasses, and how this alliance aided in the spread of humans globally. Part One is made up of 6 chapters, and in the following mini-paragraphs I will quickly summarize each one.           Chapter One, titled The Marriage of Grass and Man, is about the logic of husbandry from the point of view of the wheat. This chapter sets up the mood of the whole book, it starts off talking about how the alliance between man and wheat is the major turning point that allowed humans, and their grass allies, to spread around the world.           Chapter Two, tilted Axis Powers, is about the alliances between species long before humans we...

Discussing Tao ("the way") in class reminded me of a reading from a leadership class that I took freshman year. In that class we discussed the teachings of Lao-tzu, an ancient Chinese sage who lived in the sixth century B.C., in his book Tao Te Ching , or How Things Work. In his book, Lao likens leaders to water saying, "like water, the leader is yielding. Because the leader does not push, the group does not resent or resist." In class Tao was described as the flow of a river; sandbars change as the tides increase and decrease, and sailors on the channel must pay attention to the changing flow to avoid ground their boat. The philosophy of Taoism is appealing to me in the sense that it evokes a code of behavior in addition to yin and yang that is in harmony with the natural order. I believe this philosophy fits in well with what we have been discussing in class, specifically the cosmic web. All things are connected and recognizing the flow of energy within the cycle ...

Hellen Keller gave us a unique perspective of what it is to become aware rather than growing into it. Her description of her awakening to the world of language as a "misty consciousness" being lifted from something that was once forgotten is a beautiful metaphor. I feel as though it can be applied to the human race and our awareness of nature. Thinking of that video that we were shown in class, of the reflections of the business world but also the chicks being processed in a factory, I feel that if we change the way we view our food we will change the way we view our relationship with nature. With the technological revolution we have been starkly separated from nature, especially in how we raise our food (i.e. livestock). This degree of separation is exacerbated by the fact that many people are not actually aware of how food gets to their shelves. Agriculture literacy, an understanding of food or agriculture, is very low in the United States. An online survey put out by the I...