And now she has a second book coming out: Braiding Sweetgrass: Renewing
Reciprocity with the Good Green Earth, and by a sweet coincidence the
expected publication date is October 2013.
“Braiding Sweetgrass:
Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge and the Teachings of Plants,”
Kimmerer will touch on these two alternatives but ultimately connected
ways of knowing about the world: Traditional Ecological Knowledge and
Science. We can expect her to read from her new book. Besides ENHS, her
visit is being co-sponsored by two units of the University of Oregon: the
Environmental Studies Program, and the Oregon Humanities Center.
This morning, we had eight tenths of an inch of rain, the first
storm of the season. I trudged out between showers an hour ago to find the
woods on the trail above the house transformed. The poison oak, brilliant
in shades of coral and burgundy only a few ays ago, was leafless.
Liverworts on the hardwood l gas, grey and brittle then, were plump, green
and dripping moisture. For the first time in months, I
spotted newts and banana slugs on the path. Perhaps this is the moment in
the year I love most. My eyes open to the incredible beauty and richness of
our native woodlands as they awaken from their summer dormancy. This
Saturday we’ll ride the horses up through the edge of these woods to the
ridge that runs parallel to Lorane Highway from Fox Hollow Road to
Lorane. We love our trail along the ridge because
the first part goes through a beautiful forest, over sixty years old,
whose understory is a mix of hazel, ferns, mosses, and, in season,
wildflowers or interesting mushrooms. For the last half dozen years, it
has been home to a small and sociable flock of gray jays. This half-mile
stretch of cool shaded beauty is the last large intact piece of wooded
land left to us. Once all our trails were wooded. Now we are about to
lose this precious place. All summer we have watched the ribbons go up,
“Timber Harvest” “Timber Sale” “Cut Boundary”. The trees will go.
We just do not know exactly when. Perhaps watching all the nearby
woods we love being felled makes me more sensitive to the evolving plans
to greatly increase logging on the public O&C Lands in order to provide
needed revenues for the timber-dependent counties. Living near industrial
timberlands and knowing just exactly what happens to forestland when it is
managed according to standard commercial logging practices makes me
regard with horror Representatives DeFazio, Walden and Schrader’s bill.
The bill, which has now cleared Committee, would turn over management of
1.67 million acres of the 2.8 million acres of public O&C lands to
private timber interests that do not have to comply with the federal
environmental laws giving protection to riparian and watershed areas. The
proposed change in public land management is not just a proposal to
devastate some of our most biologically diverse and healthy forestlands,
it is also a foolish attempt to put a band-aid on a very real and
troubling economic problem.
Oregon’s public lands were the source of billions of board feet of
prime timber, such as you do not see marketed today, from the 1950s until
the early 1990s by which time all but 5% of the state’s old growth
timber was gone. This era was the heyday of logging, the ‘good old days’.
But were they so good? In my experience, living surrounded by timberland,
both public and private, for the last 44 years, the loggers I
knew were not well off. Seasonally unemployed, they scratched out a living
doing some ranching, some logging, and a lot of hunting. None of them got
rich.
The timber companies, often out-of-state companies, certainly did
grow wealthy. And the timber- dependent counties got government payments
to help with schools, libraries, and police. Generations of
children grew up contented with little education and a job like Dad’s in
the woods or the mill. The counties did little or nothing to court new
industries, or retirement and residential developments, even
though, as the examples of Brookings, Bandon and Sisters prove, the demand
for development in our lovely rural areas is huge. The counties were
content to be timber-welfare junkies and when the timber was
gone, to cry for more aid, for more public logging.
Enter the plan to get more timber off the O&C lands. By turning
large tracts of public land over to timber companies to manage, the state
will be removing federal protections from these acreages.
Trees now 80 and more years old will be harvested, and the land will be
sprayed, repeatedly, with cocktails of chemicals. The streams and creeks
will run brown with silt, for the bill proposes to increase logging in
riparian areas. A generation’s worth of forest, aquatic and ecological
research will be ignored, and the trees will fall. Plantations of disease-
and fire-prone monocultured Douglas firs will replace the forests that now
shelter a rich biota, soils with healthy nutrient-rich microorganisms, and
streams with clean, cold water where trout and salmon lay their eggs in
undisturbed gravel beds.
Will it bring much-needed jobs? Not many, really. Modern logging
and milling practices do not require many workers. One skilled man with a
large machine can mow down a hundred acres in a few days. With
the help of another worker, he can load and haul away the logs to market.
The days of the gyppo loggers, whole families working in the woods
together, are almost things of the past. As for the mills, they too are
streamlined and modernized, and a very great deal of timber cut on private
land never gets to the mills because it is exported as raw logs.
Ever since the early 20 th century, when public lands were opened to
logging, the mantra has been that trees are a renewable resource and that
logging will be on a sustainable basis. Our logging practices are
not, and have never been, sustainable. Increasing the logging pressure on
the O&C lands will do terrible damage to a diverse ecosystem just healing
from past decades of exploitation. When the trees are gone, the
revenues going to the counties will shrink and disappear again. And then
the outcry will start anew.
Open more land for logging! We need the revenue! The timber-dependent
counties do not need more logging. They do not need to destroy their best
and most precious asset, their rich, intact natural
resources. Instead, they need investment in diverse industries and
development. The residents of those counties need to learn new skills for
new jobs instead of remaining hopelessly caught in dead-end jobs or
unemployment.
When we ride our favorite trail Saturday we will be saying goodbye, for
three months for sure, because we are leaving the next day for Cambridge,
England, which though it has its own beauties, is the heart of that
nation’s most treeless county. We are probably saying goodbye to ‘our’
trees forever. I only hope I will not also return to the certain
deforestation of so much of western Oregon’s last remaining mature
timber lands, and all the life they support and shelter.
Rarely, if ever, do I use the pages of Nature Trails for political
advocacy, but this is an exception. It does not take much effort to raise
your voice or pen in support of keeping the public lands public, and
protected. Let Congress and the Governor know that Oregonians support
finding a better way to help our rural counties than destroying more than
a million acres of our greatest treasure. Please help. With all the
recent rain the forest is full of fungi. Go out there and begin your
search for our long-awaited local mushrooms. If you don’t have a favorite
secret place, check out Dorris Ranch (where the shaggy
parasols pictured here were found), Spencer Butte or even East Alton Baker
Park. Unless you have a positive ID of the specimens you find, enjoy them
only for their beauty. Remember, “There are old shroomers and there are
bold shroomers, ut there are no old, bold shroomers.”
Why is this? My own worldview, like everyone else’s, is skewed by
idiosyncrasy. Because I’m an internally conflicted evolutionary
biologist, it occurred to me that some of our psychological disjunction, if
not outright dysfunction, might be explained by our evolutionary history,
and an examination of our evolutionarily mosaic selves might be a
productive line of inquiry, a launching pad for addressing some of the
more pressing questions now facing humanity.
For starters, we are one genetically differentiated human family. This
fact is indisputable given the disparate and overwhelming genetic evidence
from the DNA of our mitochondria, which we inherit from
our mothers, and the DNA from our Y chromosome, which those of us of the
male persuasion inherit from our fathers. Both lines of genetic evidence
point to a single evolutionary origin for humans. But both of
these gene trees also show that individual groups of humans have
differentiated genetically. This differentiation has occurred because of
random processes such as genetic drift (the gradual divergence of gene
frequencies among populations that are for some reason not exchanging
genes) or because natural selection has favoured genes in one population
that are not selectively advantageous in another. These two processes can
also operate together. Cultural differences also can reinforce this
divergence. Thus, we are all biologically human and yet clearly
different from one another. All of us came from somewhere else. Most
biogeographical evidence indicates that humans originated in Africa and
dispersed globally. Dispersal probably happened more than once, with an
ancient lineage that preceded Homo sapiens packing their
bags and moving into southern Europe over a million years ago followed by
at least one other group of modern humans leaving at least 60,000 years
ago.
This move was only a beginning; since then, our ancestors have gone
nearly everywhere on the globe except Antarctica. But dispersal is risky,
and there is a huge advantage to staying in a place where sources
of food and shelter and social connections are known.
We, the descendants of both dispersers and homebodies, are both
people. Our ancestors also did a pretty good job of sharing their genes
around. The most dramatic example might also be the most ancient so far
supported by evidence. Sequencing of the Neanderthal genome in
2010 revealed that genetic pieces of this ancient lineage of humans
persists in many of us today, supporting the idea that in southern Europe
some ancient hanky panky occurred between Homo neanderthalensis and more
recent Homo sapiens immigrants. So humans are a mixed bag right down to our
chromosomes and the genes that reside on
them.
Humanity is easy to criticize these days, and I have cast many stones. One
common refrain accuses our species of being selfish and shortsighted. Our
current environmental woes suggest that this characterization is correct.
One author recently described our notions
of self-contained individuality as “ridiculous,” but on that score I’m not
so sure. Certainly the primate lineage indicates over 50 million years of
social evolution, where group selection has favored our interactive
participation in tribal bands. Yet preceding the evolution of sociality,
there occurred about four billion years of natural selection for
individual survival and reproduction. There exists no evolutionary
rulebook that says we cannot be both social and self-centered, and we
cannot assume that these evolutionary forces are mutually exclusive.
Both could be influencing our current pattern of decision-making.
So while I concur that humans are shortsighted, I’m not certain how
“ridiculous” this behavior is. Regardless, this pejorative seems to have
failed so far to change our behavior.
I have no idea what contribution our mosaic genetic background
makes to our internal struggle. Certainly culture also plays a large role.
A day in the modern world might lambast us with an endless variety of
alternatives ranging from the vastly important to the ridiculously
trivial: career/family, stay/relocate, vegetarian/omnivore,
organic/conventional,
bike/drive, stocks/bonds, paper/plastic, Mac/PC, Android/IPhone. Give the
array of conflicts that must be resolved, it’s a wonder we all don’t curl
into a permanent fetal position under the desk and refuse to
come out. Yet we carry on, trying to make the gray fog of continua become
black and white.
Ultimately it seems that the fields of physics, biology,
psychology, and sociology can show us only the grayness of it all.
Recognizing where we are is an important first step, but illuminating our
conundrums
usually causes us just to scratch our heads and say “Wow, that’s a
conundrum!” While science has been very good at showing us our
predicaments, we need help with a decision-making process that allows us
to choose the right behavior when it impacts our most pressing problems.
The ongoing and interrelated issues of climate change, pollution,
overextraction, desertification, and poverty compel us to move forward in
ways that create a healthy future for ourselves, our descendants, and our
communities.
Yes, we are genetically programmed organisms. But we are not
automatons. If both the natural and unnatural history of humanity is
somehow responsible for driving us over a future Malthusian cliff, and if
the sciences are providing an onslaught of information but not answers,
then we need something more.
Perhaps we should look to art in all its various forms for pathways toward
reimagination. In the Tom Robbins novel Fierce Invalids Home from Hot
Climates, the protagonist Switters sees language evolving from being a
brush for painting a picture of our present universe to one we use to
outline the future we want to inhabit, which from my perspective would be
founded upon environmental stability.
Maybe a common collaborative language can be forged between scientific
knowledge and artistic connection that could help us discover ways in
which tribal humans with a strong tendency for self-preservation can
connect as a global community. That language might also help us find
pathways leading simultaneously to holding the strongest sense imaginable
of local place while embracing the connectivity of the global ecosystem.
Like Switters, I’m not sure what this new tongue will look or sound
like. Because tipping points are being breached, there are some elements
of our future narrative that can be avoided. We have little time to muck
around with denial, including ignoring or blaming others for our systemic
socio environmental problems. Time also has run out for anger, regardless
of whether it is directed at others or ourselves.
Forgiveness might be a first step forward, and I mean forgiveness
in the sense of letting go of whatever biological or cultural imperatives
brought us to this place. We might also accept that life is complex and
let go of our need to pigeonhole our mosaic selves. Regardless of the
details, my hope is that our new stories move us decisively toward an
ecologically and socially sustainable world.
K RAJARAM IRS 2724 3724
On Tue, 2 Jul 2024 at 19:29, Markendeya Yeddanapudi <
[email protected]> wrote:
>
>
> --
> *Mar*Feeling of Feeling of Feeling…
>
>
>
> Suppose you achieved the speed of light. You lose your volume identity, or
> space leaves time, or no longer remain as the space-time or simply you, and
> you become the infinite vacuum. Your time loses its space tie and space
> address, but you still travel in the electromagnetic waves. You become the
> vacuum, the expanse of your perception and understanding becomes infinity,
> you enter the great ocean of rapture. As a participant in the
> electromagnetic waves, you become perception; understanding and
> enlightenment wave. You become the ultimate rapture or return to mother
> earth when she was free from pollutions caused by economics.
>
> Free,healthy,thick and lush nature, puts you under the ultimate spell of
> revelations of nature, where you join the Biosphere the great college of
> perceptions, understanding and revelations, all as rapture. You don’t need
> rockets, space-ships etc to do the space travel, which of course is
> impossible, as there is no material with which you can make the space-ship
> that withstands the hot stars, black holes etc,with you remaining as the
> unmutated earthling ( containing octillions of bacteria, each with its own
> DNA) hiding in the space-ship or the mini earth.
>
> After all you cannot even go into the earth, by digging for more than say
> twenty km of earth, as the lava sea, the Asthenosphere will melt you.
>
> Instead suppose you become a Rishi. You enter the arena of feelings,
> feeling the feeling, again feeling that feeling, on and on, where the
> paradigmatic bases of understanding change from one rapture wave to
> another. You become the perception wave as the electromagnetic wave, the
> eye of Siva in you giving you the power of instant perception.
>
> Every life form is a station of feelings and emotions. In free and healthy
> nature you smell and sense the various feelings continuously, the feeling
> equations continuously solving into new perception answers and
> enlightenment which again joins the cascades of feeling equations. Diverse
> feeling equations join as the solved equation of revelations, which again
> join in the new ocean of equations of feelings. You enter the arena of
> revelations as the continuously changing paradigms.
>
> Revelation means entering the arena of new and new sublime paradigms. In
> free and healthy nature, every cell and bacterium in you enables you to
> join the revelation waves of the Biosphere. But when you employ machines to
> the work of your limbs and organs, they become redundant and frozen and
> your capacity to participate in the great dance of revelations of nature
> gets shackled by the machine arrests.
>
> In free and healthy nature, every day you do not wither with age but
> travel in the arena of revelations, enabling you to age gracefully.
>
> We are not realizing what we are doing to ourselves and the rest of the
> Biosphere with our technology which is getting substituted in the place of
> our natural faculties.
>
> When one does not even notice the terrible destruction and the nearing
> extinction, and indulges happily in calculating the economic growth, in
> reality of the destruction of nature, there is only one word to describe
> the sickness-lunacy.
>
> YM
>
> Chat GPT
>
> ### Feeling of Feeling of Feeling...
>
>
>
> **Concept of Achieving the Speed of Light**
>
>
>
> When one contemplates achieving the speed of light, it transforms the
> fundamental nature of existence. According to Einstein's theory of
> relativity, as one approaches the speed of light, time dilation becomes
> significant, and spatial dimensions begin to lose their distinctiveness. At
> the speed of light:
>
>
>
> - **Loss of Volume Identity**: An object theoretically loses its spatial
> volume, transitioning into a state where space and time meld into a unified
> fabric.
>
> - **Infinite Perception**: Entering this state, one perceives reality not
> through discrete points in space-time but as an omnipresent entity,
> experiencing everything simultaneously. This can be likened to becoming
> part of the electromagnetic waves that traverse the cosmos, embodying
> perception, understanding, and enlightenment.
>
>
>
> **Joining the Biosphere as a Perceptive Entity**
>
>
>
> In this hypothetical state, one becomes a participant in the grand
> symphony of nature's revelations. This echoes the spiritual journey of a
> Rishi (sage) who transcends physical limitations to achieve a state of
> continuous revelation:
>
>
>
> - **Nature's Spell**: Immersing in an untouched, healthy environment
> allows one to perceive and understand the interconnectedness of all life
> forms. This environment acts as a vast college of perception and
> understanding, fostering continuous enlightenment.
>
> - **No Need for Physical Travel**: Unlike the mechanical endeavors of
> space travel, which confront insurmountable physical challenges, spiritual
> or perceptive travel transcends these barriers. The human mind and spirit
> can explore the universe's mysteries without physical constraints.
>
>
>
> **Feelings and Emotions as Pathways to Revelation**
>
>
>
> Emotions and feelings are integral to this journey. In a free and healthy
> natural world, one can continually experience new layers of feelings, each
> leading to deeper understanding and enlightenment:
>
>
>
> - **Cascades of Feelings**: Engaging deeply with nature, one can sense
> diverse feelings and emotions, leading to continuous new insights and
> revelations. This creates a dynamic, ever-evolving understanding of the
> universe.
>
> - **Machine Dependence vs. Natural Faculties**: Reliance on technology can
> stifle this natural capacity for revelation. When machines perform tasks
> meant for human faculties, they become redundant, and the individual's
> ability to engage in the dance of natural revelations diminishes.
>
>
>
> **The Dance of Revelations and Aging Gracefully**
>
>
>
> In a symbiotic relationship with nature, aging is not a process of decline
> but a graceful journey through continuous revelations:
>
>
>
> - **Continuous Revelations**: Every day brings new insights and deeper
> understanding, fostering a state of perpetual growth and rejuvenation. This
> contrasts sharply with the mechanized, technology-driven existence that
> often leads to physical and emotional stagnation.
>
> - **Realizing the Impact**: The unchecked technological advancements and
> economic pursuits are leading to environmental destruction and a
> disconnection from nature. Recognizing and addressing this lunacy is
> crucial for restoring balance and fostering a meaningful existence.
>
>
>
> **Conclusion**
>
>
>
> The journey of becoming one with the universe through the "feeling of
> feeling of feeling" emphasizes the profound connection between perception,
> emotions, and the natural world. By embracing this holistic approach, one
> can achieve a state of continuous revelation and enlightenment,
> transcending the limitations imposed by modern technological and economic
> paradigms.
>
>
>
> ### Further Reading
>
>
>
> For a deeper exploration of these concepts, you might find the following
> sources insightful:
>
>
>
> 1. **"The Fabric of the Cosmos" by Brian Greene**: This book explores the
> nature of space and time, including the implications of traveling at the
> speed of light.
>
> 2. **"The Tao of Physics" by Fritjof Capra**: This book discusses the
> parallels between modern physics and Eastern mysticism, touching upon the
> interconnectedness of the universe.
>
> 3. **"The Power of Now" by Eckhart Tolle**: This book emphasizes the
> importance of living in the present moment and connecting with the deeper
> layers of consciousness.
>
> 4. **"Braiding Sweetgrass" by Robin Wall Kimmerer**: A beautiful
> exploration of the relationship between humans and nature, emphasizing the
> importance of reciprocal relationships and deep connection to the natural
> world.
>
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