Blog #6: Spiritual Ecology

I thought the spiritual ecology readings were very insightful and inspiring. I really enjoyed reading about the different tribes that value nature and give back to it as they use its resources. I completely agreed that we are one with nature and should be more conscious of how we are treating it. I found "The Gaia Hypothesis" very interesting. The whole concept of Gaia was something I've never heard before. I thought it was insightful that the Earth was considered to be a living organism that maintains homeostasis, just as we do. I don't think majority of people would read that article and agree with its message. In the article, "Beyond Humanism, Modernity and Patriarchy," I obviously agreed that we need to understand more of how the natural world works to fully appreciate. I thought it was funny that equality has become such a large issue, especially with men, even though women are still not "invited to speak on their panels, and their conferences, or in their journals." One of the articles even said as much as much as we thrive for equality our nature has been built on a patriarchal society. Even higher, spiritual beings are portrayed as men, making women dependent on men from the start. The final reading, "Spiritual Ecology," captured my interest the most. I liked how every religion cherished the Earth and thought it was their religious duty to give back and take care of it. They did not over exploit natural resources or slaughter animals to the extent we do today. They recognized that they benefit from other living organisms (even the Earth) and they needed to sustain it. The more people try to rebel against religions and traditional views the less they will care about the environment. Unless those who rebel turn into environmental activists, we are losing so many people to non-traditional mindsets and a lack of empathy for the environment.

My ideas for leading a class based on spiritual ecology would be to have everyone discuss what their religious values are and what they were taught as they were raised about their religion and the environment. I would want them to read "Spiritual Ecology" for sure because I truly think it's an eye opener. Society today relies so much on industry and technology but as the article said, "If they can do it, so can we." Why couldn't we go back valuing what the native tribes valued? Why couldn't we take care of the Earth as people once did? This quote stuck with me and I want to know what others feel about it. "When I was small, my mother often told me that animals, insects and plants are to be treated with the kind of respect one customarily accords to high-status adults. Life is a circle, and everything has a place in it."