The Lament of the Bigfoot
Frankly #74
In a polarized and fractured society, those who draw attention to the ecological devastation wrought by human activities, and those who champion the importance of protecting non-human life, increasingly face the label of being ‘anti-human.’ In this Frankly, I read a poem I wrote 20 years ago this month “The Lament of the Bigfoot” which highlights the disproportionate role humans have on the ecosystems they inhabit and reflect on how my attitudes have both changed and stayed the same 20 years on.
Yes, the scale of the human enterprise has resulted in unprecedented harm to Earth’s biosphere. But separate from - and indeed as a result of - our past decisions, it is our actions today that will steer the future. Imagine how different that future might look if humanity harnessed its ingenuity and innovation to become active contributors, embedded within the web of life.
Is it possible to overcome 'the agenda of the gene'? And if so: how? And when? In what ways could humans actively enhance ecosystems by creating, rather than appropriating, biological productivity? And how might we reframe cultural and economic incentives to accelerate the shift towards an ecological civilization? Big open questions.
In case you missed it…
This week, I talked with Erik Fernholm about The Inner Development Goals, a framework designed to foster the skills and capacities needed to tackle the existential challenges we face. Erik unpacks the nuance and complexities of creating such a massive project, and discusses how he’s used them in his own life to foster personal change.
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Nate, don't take Mr. Colman's post to heart. We need your voice, need to hear from your esteemed guests. While Mr. Colman is correct that grief is love with nowhere to go, the cause of grief is not that people stay in their heads, or hate, or cast scorn instead of feeling the pain, although it's true that people do that, too.
Your trip to India gave you a break from being in your head, and gave a chance for your heart and soul to open up. By all means, get out with your ducks and dogs, get out on your bike when weather permits, whatever it takes to keep your heart and soul healthy. Please tell your listeners when you're going to take a break so we don't worry about you.
We love you. We feel your love. You are one of the few voices of sanity in an insane world. Some of your guests are out of alignment in one way or another with the message of The Great Simplification, yet you treat them with great respect. Some of your listeners interpret that as abandoning your values, but it's not - the world needs more respect, not less. Your treatment of all your guests is a model for how to treat others.
Thank you for your work, for your podcasting, and for being you.
I don’t like humans but I do love the great simplification and Nate’s podcasts and other materials he makes available to his listeners. And I love anything related to Sasquatches since I’m from Puget Sound, the home of the Muckleshoot and Puyallup tribes.