Such an ambitious title.
If you read the post below, “Metaphorical Vision,” you’ll know that William J. Mills, the article’s author, believes that a large part of our ecological crisis is derived from a metaphor that takes the holism of nature and turns it into a machine. Because of this “desacralization,” –probably going to be one of my new favorite words– our society is able to separate itself from and justify its domination of the natural world.
So that begs the question: can we construct a new, better, more loving metaphor for our society? One that will bring humanity back into the fold, that will unite us psychologically and (should I say) spiritually with every other organism and non-organism on this planet?
It’s all tall order. And I don’t think, I don’t even dare to dream, that such a metaphor could be constructed in blog post. But it’s an interesting thought experiment, and I think it’s one that everyone should undertake, both for the sake of Nature, but also for the sake of their own peace of mind.
Where to start? I think that maybe we can go back a little bit, back to the civilizations that had a much more harmonious relationship out of nature (if not out of necessity instead of enlightened understanding). Most evident to me, living in the Northwest, are the Indians (Native Americans, for you PC people out there). What exactly is the Native metaphor for nature, and how did it result in their ability to not only live off the land, but to incorporate themselves within it?
Sadly, I don’t know enough of actual Indian mythology to be able to accurately derive any sort of qualities that could explain the Indian way of life and its apparent harmony with Nature. Perhaps we could say that their dependence and subsistence on the natural world resulted in their mythology being extremely ecocentric; but without being an Indian myself or an anthropologist, I can’t say anything with certainty.
Plus, I feel as if there needs to be some sort of adaptation of a Western metaphor or understanding that we can relate to without too much reorganization. In order to convince society that it ought to reconstruct the way it views nature, the best strategy might be to guide it gently towards a vision of nature that society can grasp quickly and easily. So…any ideas?
I’m honestly at a loss…restructure the Western metaphor for the world? How? It’s an almost hopelessly immense task…
Anyone…? I feel pretty alone with this one.
