i agree with what tj says about the relationship between women and
nature...i was a little taken aback by all the posts asserting our
non-relationship with nature...or maybe they were more asserting our
'not necessarily related" relationship...which i agree with, but in the
process of declaring our not necessarily relationship, are we denying
it??
i dont think women have any closer a relationship to nature than men, but
in this patriarchal culture that values men and attributes
certain characteristics to them as "natural", we definitely are
conversely associated with nature in order to establish us as weaker,
more emotional, irrational and more suitable for childrearing and homemaking
than men....so sure, this idea was created and encouraged by
patriarchy..but what that means to me is that we should RECLAIM it for
ourslelves, since we have been taught to devalue it...and men should work
to REDISCOVER it and channel it positively..possibly with the help and
inspiration of women who have consciously worked to reclaim the
relationship (starhawk, susan griffin etc..others who many of you would
term essentialist)..because the dualism of this devaluation of the
relationship to nature..and the simultaneous celebration of logic, reason,
power-over and aggression needs to be deconstructed so that we all humans
can realize our limitless possibilities for expression and personhood and
wholism.
-anne dashiell
