"Our trouble with the New World--a world that was intended to refuel an Old World which had in some sense grown effete--has been that from the beginning we have imposed, not proposed. We never said to the people or the animals or the plants or the rivers or the mountains: What do you think of this? We said what we thought, and bent to our will whatever resisted. I do not suggest lightly that, or as a kind of romance, that we might have addressed the animals, the trees, the land itself. The idea of this kind of courtesy is more ancient than 'primitive.' And the wisdom of it, the ineffable and subtle interwining of living organisms on the Earth, is confirmed today by molecular biology and atmosphere chemistry. To acknowledge the interdependence is simply a good and wise habit of mind."
-- Barry Lopez, The Rediscovery of North America (1990)
Barry Lopez is an author I have really come to enjoy, especially as I delve deeper into Environmental Ethics. I recently read The Rediscovery of North America for one of my current classes. It's a very short read and thought provoking. I would encourage anyone interested in American history and the repair and preservation of our natural habitat to give it a gander. It can easily be read during a one hour lunch break.
2 comments:
Surely you have, but if not you must check out Ed Abbey (desert solitaire) and John Graves (goodbye to a river and hard scrabble). All of their writing is great, but those three a my favorite books of all time.
Adam
I haven't read these before! I am familiar with Abbey, but haven't really read any of his stuff. Thanks for the recs, I'll add them to my reading list.
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