In September 2009, I took a solo trip to the Porcupine Mountains in Michigan's Upper Peninsula. I was supposed to go with a friend but he was unable to go. I decided to keep my date with the little cabin on the shores of Mirror Lake in the heart of the Porkies. I wasn't really thinking about Thoreau or Walden at the time but looking back at the trip, I remember how simple things got. - Fetching water for drinking and cooking
- Making a meal using the same pan every day
- Quietly eating while looking out over the lake
- Eating every meal out of the same bowl or plate
- Cleaning up
- Getting up when it was light
- Going to bed when was dark
- Taking short day hikes away from the cabin and back
The first day, the very simplicity of it was disconcerting. My mind and body were not used to such a slow pace. But by the fourth day, I had slowed down into the rhythm of a simple existence. It was as natural as breathing.
Trying to find this or create this in day-to-day life is challenging. But I'm convinced that it is possible. Last year, I moved to Pittsburgh PA for a job opportunity and we (my wife and I) have seized this opportunity to try and live more simply. We went from a 1200 sq foot single family home to a 760 sq foot townhouse that is part of a coop. We have donated, sold, or given away more than 50% of our furniture. We had enough books to fill 4 large bookcases. 90% of them have been donated to the library. We had a large china cabinet filled with dishes and now we are down to just a few things that we love which can fit on one shelf in the kitchen.
With each step all I can say is that I feel better and more free now that I'm free of all that "stuff." My mind keeps coming back to that trip each time I take a step forward which tells me that I'm are on the right track. If what I'm doing (or not doing) reminds me of that simple rhythm I experienced, then I know I'm closer to creating that simple life.
For many years I have sensed that there is something wrong or missing in my environmental beliefs. After thinking about it for years, reading books, attending and giving workshops, and spending as much time as I can outside, I think I can finally articulate what has been nagging at me. It is both a cultural and a spiritual problem and it has to do with how we view the world and how we view ourselves in it.
From a secular environmental perspective we talk about “preserving our environment” or “Protecting our (or the) environment.” From a religious perspective we talk of caring for Gods earth or being good stewards of our natural resources. Environmental organizations talk about protecting and preserving our natural resources or being good managers of wildlife habitats. Everything from trees to deer herds to trout populations are “managed” by a variety of state and federal agencies. I could go on and on with examples but what all of these statements have in common is that they reflect a basic attitude of ownership. We see ourselves as the species that is (and ought to be) in charge of managing every single thing on the planet from mineral to mammal. We do not seem to notice that this is the same view that has led us to where we are today. It is this same view that has led to the destruction of the natural world. This view of the world is rarely questioned except by indigenous peoples who we see as inferior both technologically and culturally.
I believe that this attitude is ingrained in us through our culture and has its foundation in western religions. Our entire civilization is built upon this view. If we wish to survive, I believe it will take a shift in this attitude and not solar panels. If we want to be able to live in a way that is sustainable, it will take a shift in this attitude and not wind turbines. Even if everything in our wildest “environment movement” dreams were to be put into practice, it would not change much because our civilization would continue to run full-steam ahead devouring the planet.
What is the shift in attitude? It is one of relationship. We do not have knowledge of the world based on relationship. Our knowledge is based on taking things apart to get at their secrets. Our knowledge is based on being an outside observer gathering data. Forests, rivers, lakes, animals, and insects are not our friends. We don’t see them as fellow inhabitants of this planet who have just as much a right to be here as we do. If we did we would treat them much differently. We know enough about the how the natural world works but we do not “know” the natural world intimately. It’s the difference between reading books about someone and even observing someone but not living with them. Of course, sometimes we can live with someone and still not know them, so I should add that we need to live with them, talk to them, listen to them, and pay attention to them. On a daily basis very few of us (including myself) have the time to build a relationship like this with the natural world.
So what then? Should billions of people go back and live on farms? Honestly, I don’t know. But I think a major shift in our consciousness would ignite some ideas. If millions of people suddenly realized that they do not own the world and that we are merely privileged to be traveling through it at this moment in time along with all of the other non-human inhabitants, we as people might be able to see a new way.
