Aemma
02-19-2009, 04:22 PM
Well I thought I'd post a wee article that I wrote last year for an extremely modest Heathen magazine in order to get the ball rolling on a discussion about environmentalism and deep ecology with respect to our belief system.
It's a pretty basic article--nothing fancy or deep--but at least it might entice a few to respond.... :)
Cheers All!...Aemma
Heathenry and the Deep Ecology Movement
On relating the end of the Viking era, Gwyn Jones, in his book A History of the Vikings, portrays the would-be last days of the Northern People in the following manner:
As in the legendary sixth century and the viking heyday [the ordinary Northman] continued to go about his business, and it was the same business. The land was farmed with love and diligence. The long flat Danish landscape, the high Norwegian valleys, the clearings of the Swedish forests yielded corn or fragrant grass; sheep grazed the pastures of a thousand islands between Alands and the west Greenland archipelago, and on the mainlands went up to the seter and the heiði in spring and fattened there till the first cold nights of autumn. (p. 388)
The land was farmed with love and diligence. Of all that we’ve come to learn about this proud and pragmatic people, no truer but oft forgotten notion exists: the Northman shared a special relationship with the land. That he often sought new land of his own throughout his a-viking activities is attested by the findings of history; that he enjoyed a spiritual bond with any land upon which he stood and lived and its various non-human beings who inhabited it is equally attested to. It is my contention that this attachment to the land, to the sacredness of Nature more specifically, has been a deeply ingrained notion carried forward throughout the ages by the Germanic People and has found its expression in the development of the Deep Ecology Movement. Nay, more than an ordinary expression of an ethic long ago imbedded in the Germanic psyche, the Deep Ecology Movement is a true expression of the ethos of a people bound to its reality as a created being among many others sharing Mother Jörð’s sacred bounty.
The Ethos of a People:
“When the sons of Bórr were walking along the sea-strand, they found two trees, and took up the trees and shaped men of them….” (Gylfaginning, IX) is what we are told in the Prose Edda about our humble beginnings. These three sons of Bórr bestowed upon us the many gifts of life: Odin, the gifts of spirit and life; Vili, the gifts of wit and feeling; and Vé, the gifts of form, speech, hearing, and sight. In the Poetic Edda (Bellows, 2004), Man and Woman’s beginnings are recounted as the following:
“Then from the throng did three come forth,
From the home of the gods, the mighty and gracious;
Two without fate on the land they found,
Ask and Embla, empty of might.
Soul they had not, sense they had not,
Heat nor motion, nor goodly hue;
Soul gave Othin, sense gave Hönir,
Heat gave Lothur and goodly hue.”
(Voluspa, Stanzas 17-18)
The story of our beginnings, though modest, is very clear: we were not created in the image of some alien desert god. Instead, the story of our own creation is one that is as organic and of Nature as is the story of the rest of the creatures who inhabit Midgard. We were shaped of trees our lore tells us; Ask and Embla are our early ancestors. Though the gods have given us shape, form, feelings and all of our human characteristics, we are not told that any of these characteristics emulate those of the gods. Rather, we are left with the definite sense that we are beings moulded from this earth, fashioned from the trees that grace Midgard. There is no sense of superiority or lording over any of Mother Jörð’s creatures by Germanic Man. Instead, he is fully cognizant of the fact that he is just one being among many others.
In his On Being a Pagan, Alain de Benoist passionately makes the argument that, though the public perception of heathenry seems to have taken the most unfortunate turn of events as identifying heathenry merely as a ‘nature religion’ perpetuated by the Judaeo-Christian agenda to make it devoid of any notion of ‘spirit’, as a religion, heathenry, in reality, instead espouses a complete and more complex view of itself. De Benoist states: “The theology of paganism [note: de Benoist uses the term ‘paganism’ to denote ‘heathenry’] is not a theology of nature but a theology of the world. Nature displays the face of being, but does not constitute its ultimate determination.” (de Benoist, 1981, p. 155)
Furthermore de Benoist asserts:
…[P]aganism, far from being something that can be characterized as a denial of spirituality or a rejection of the sacred, consists on the contrary in the choice (and reappropriation) of another spirituality, another form of the sacred….[I]t poses a fundamentally religious relationship between man and the world—and a spirituality that appears to us as much more intense, much more serious, and stronger than what Judaeo-Christianity claims for itself. Far from desacralizing the world, it sacralizes it in the literal sense of the word; it regards the world as sacred—and this is precisely…the core of paganism. (de Benoist, p. 16)
Moreover, “…in ancient Europe the sacred was not conceived as opposed to the profane but rather encompassed the profane and gave it meaning.” (de Benoist, p. 17) The logical conclusion to be derived? Ours is not the idea of a false duality between the sacred and the world, but one where the world and the sacred are one:
…[T]he sacred vests itself as mystery in this world, that it is based on the intimacy shared by man and the world….Paganism sacralizes and thereby exalts this world whereas Judaeo-Christian monotheism sanctifies and thereby retreats from this world. Paganism is based on the idea of the sacred. (de Benoist, p. 18)
Thus not only are we left with the idea that all of life which derives sustenance from Mother Jörð is sacred but we are also left with the undeniable truth of the meaning of our own existence: we, the descendants of Ask and Embla, are also part and parcel of the sacred nature of Mother Jörð and we equally require sustenance from her loving self.
But more importantly, the essence of Germanic Man’s stance with respect to his relationship with Nature is further delineated: he harbours a deep reverence for Nature, one not born from a false dualistic ideology which fosters the misguided notion of man’s stewardship of something other than himself (Nature) as espoused by Judaeo-Christian teachings. But instead it is an ideology based on the precepts of mutual respect for self and surroundings and other living Midgardian beings, seen, felt or otherwise. This presupposes an extant philosophy of not so much the belief in the ‘egalitarianism’ of beings which inhabit Midgard but more so the belief in the ‘likeness in metaphysical state’ of all of said beings—we are all part and parcel of Mother Jörð’s bounty. My wish in using this latter phrase is not to espouse any pantheistic or even atomistic notions of creation but simply to relate our likeness, not so much in kind, but more so in degree, in relation to our place in Nature. And it is this deep-seated notion of Germanic Man’s sense of respect for self and his outer-world (the natural environment) that has manifest itself in the works of Arne Næss and his Deep Ecology movement.
Deep Ecology--A Modern Germanic Man’s Approach to Environmentalism:
Arne Næss, a Norwegian philosopher, is well known for his initiation and development of the Deep Ecology movement. According to Michael E. Zimmerman, Professor of Philosophy at Tulane University in New Orleans:
Deep ecology is founded on two basic principles: one is a scientific insight into the interrelatedness of all systems of life on Earth, together with the idea that anthropocentrism - human-centeredness - is a misguided way of seeing things. Deep ecologists say that an ecocentric attitude is more consistent with the truth about the nature of life on Earth. Instead of regarding humans as something completely unique or chosen by God, they see us as integral threads in the fabric of life. They believe we need to develop a less dominating and aggressive posture towards the Earth if we and the planet are to survive.
The second component of deep ecology is what Arnie Næss calls the need for human self-realization. Instead of identifying with our egos or our immediate families, we would learn to identify with trees and animals and plants, indeed the whole ecosphere. This would involve a pretty radical change of consciousness, but it would make our behavior more consistent with what science tells us is necessary for the well-being of life on Earth. We just wouldn't do certain things that damage the planet, just as you wouldn't cut off your own finger.
(Introduction to Deep Ecology, online article Global Climate Change IC #22)
Deep Ecology defines itself as a more complex method of viewing the world as opposed to that defined by Shallow Ecology, whereby the latter view purports the following:
…[P]eople start from an assumption, often unexamined, that human beings are the central species in the Earth's ecosystem, and that other beings and parts of systems are of less importance or value. In its extreme manifestations, shallow ecology views other beings and features of the Earth as resources for human use, and fails to see their intrinsic value or their value to each other. (Great River Earth Institute)
The former view, on the other hand, professes the following:
[It is] an ecology that goes deeper by placing humans within ecosystems, different but not better or more valuable than other species or other "beings" such as rivers and rocks and clouds. This may seem self-evident, and to an ecologist it may seem fundamental to the entire science of ecology; but this removing of humans from the center actually challenges ways of thinking that have been taught so long they seem like "the way things are." (Great River Earth Institute)
To be sure, Shallow Ecology is heavily based on the Judaeo-Christian concept of ‘stewardship’ that Arne Næss once described in the following not-so-glowing terms:
The arrogance of stewardship consists in the idea of superiority which underlies the thought that we exist to watch over nature like a highly respected middleman between the Creator and Creation." (Wikipedia “Deep Ecology”)
At its very core then, Deep Ecology, with its greater appreciation for the intricacies of the interrelationships and interdependencies between different life forms found living in Mother Jörð’s bosom, also touches upon the spiritual nature inherent in this philosophy. Harkening back to Germanic Man’s very spiritual sense of reverence toward his environment and his knowledge that he is but one part of the matrix of Life on Midgard, the modern human operating from the Deep Ecology model acknowledges that his is a more spiritual approach to environmentalism. As Helena Norberg-Hodge, Swedish philosopher, linguist, activist, and Director of the International Society for Ecology and Culture shares:
To me, the essence of deep ecology is moving beyond a type of environmentalism which is still based on a highly reductionist and a highly distant approach to the living world, to the natural world. To me, the essence of deep ecology is an expression of the need to develop a deep spiritual and, and - both [sic] spiritual, intellectual and physical connection to the living world around us, to the cosmos. That's, for me, the essence of deep ecology. (Transcript of the documentary film: The Call of the Mountain, 1997)
Instead of seeking to manage and control the environment for the purposes of catering to the needs of humans, the deep ecologist, starting from a more spiritual understanding of Life, seeks to live respectfully amidst the myriad life forms present on Midgard. In disputing the humanist claim that today’s view of ‘bigger means greater’ (as in better), Bill Devall, co-author of Deep Ecology: Living As If Nature Mattered shares this insight:
I think the problem with humanism is its arrogance and its... hubris. To say that humans are superior to nature or separate from nature, is to deny, or defy, the laws of ecology. Humans have crossed from the first world of nature into the second world of culture, but to say that it is the destiny of humans to control something that is larger than ourselves, to control a system which is larger than ourselves, is to place humans as, basically, gods on this planet.
The deep, long range ecology movement sees humans as having very unique qualities, very special qualities. There's nothing in the deep, long range ecology movement that is anti-human, that denigrates humans, either as individuals or as communities or as a species.
The critique of modernism and of humanism in the deep, long range ecology movement is that humanism has confused 'bigness' with 'greatness'. Humanists attempt to develop bigger societies, bigger technology, mega-technology, and claim that with bigger technology humans are becoming greater. Greatness, in deep ecology, is cultivated through understanding of humility; that humans are plain citizens, in the words of ecologist Aldo Leopold, plain citizens of natural systems, not lords and masters. (Transcript of the documentary film: The Call of the Mountain, 1997)
And finally Arne Næss himself explains his philosophical stance clearly:
The term 'deep ecology', or better, 'to be a supporter of the deep ecology movement', that is a long term, but is more basic. That is: to join in activism, to get rid of the ecological crisis. To join on the basis of your life-philosophy or religion. That is to say: your motivation comes from your total view or your philosophical, religious opinions, so that you feel, when you are working in favour of free nature, you are working for something within your self, that demands that, demands changes. So you are motivated from what I call the 'deeper premises'. You go all the way back…. (Transcript of the documentary film: The Call of the Mountain, 1997)
Indeed, given the above, one can now easily argue that ‘to go all the way back’ to one’s ‘deeper premises’ in this instance is to have rekindled one’s Heathen spiritual roots--that legacy left by our ancestors and gods for us to live in tandem with the other life forces here on Midgard.
Philosophical Conviction Translated Into Deeds:
To be sure, the Deep Ecology movement continues to tacitly promote an underlying Heathen-friendly worldview by virtue of the fact that the movement itself demands action from its adherents. As the Foundation for Deep Ecology emphasizes in the very last point of its 8 point platform: “those who subscribe to the foregoing points have an obligation directly or indirectly to participate in the attempt to implement the necessary changes.” (‘Deep Ecology Platform’ from the Foundation for Deep Ecology) The question remains however: How does one participate? Næss’s reply would be simple: Practise your own ecological wisdom considering your own place-specific requirements and realities. The famous adage ‘Think globally; act locally’ might also be remembered since true participation in the process—action—is at the core of the message. What deeds in particular might one engage in? There is a multitude of things that one can act upon, from choosing to live a simpler life, to making better consumer choices, to actively disengaging from the rampant consumer monoculture. The following, provided by the Great River Earth Institute, is a list of small do-able activities with which one may want to start:
De-clutter your house. Go through clothes, kitchenware, knickknacks, gadgets, small appliances and other possessions and give away or recycle some. Do this until you feel there is some air in your home, some space between the things.
Try cooking more meals from scratch. This may sound like the opposite of simplifying, since cooking from scratch can take more time and be more complicated than microwaving a meal from a box, or ordering a pizza. However, you can make larger quantities and freeze the extra for a quick meal later. You also can avoid huge amounts of packaging, which is expensive and wasteful.
Ride public transit or a bicycle to get around. If possible, don’t even own a car. You’ll save thousands of dollars every year from insurance, registration, maintenance and gas. And you’ll never have a freeway accident, a breakdown or get caught in a traffic jam.
Buy products with the least packaging possible. You will save money as well as resources and reduce your garbage.
Buy in bulk. Food co-ops have many foods available in bins from which you fill your own container.
Learn to mend clothing, toys, furniture and other items. Sewing holes in shirts and pants can be a relaxing activity. Darning socks and tights is a bit more difficult, but can double or triple the life of these items.
Instead of going to a movie, invite some friends over to play charades, Trivial Pursuit, Scruples or some other game, play music together, or read a play. Storytelling as an art is coming back—anyone can tell stories.
Borrow or rent large items that you don’t use often, such as tools, garden equipment and party utensils. You can even rent a car for trips.
Instead of traveling to faraway places for vacation, look closer to home. Explore the place you live. You will save money on travel as well as accommodations and food, which always cost more at popular vacation spots.
Buy clothes and household items second-hand.
Get off mailing lists. Write to: Direct Marketing Association, Mail Preference Service, P.Ol Box 9008, Farmingdale, NY 11725-9008 to have your name removed from lists rented to catalog companies and other direct mail solicitors. This will reduce your mail, save paper and trees, and reduce your exposure to tempting merchandise. Remember to request that your name not be sold to other companies whenever you subscribe to any publication or join any organization.
Start a compost pile for yard waste and food waste from the kitchen. This may seem less simple than throwing everything into the garbage, but it will help you to waste less food as you become more aware of where it is going, while reducing garbage, which could save money. The side benefit is, of course, a rich soil additive that will make your garden and all your trees and shrubs grow healthier.
Reuse everything you can, from jars and containers to nails to clothing. You will need to buy much less new stuff.
Don’t fall for the new advertising gimmick using the language of simplicity to sell all kinds of things—even $30,000 cars. Simplicity isn’t about having the right stuff. It isn’t a style. And don’t fall for the idea that you need a lot of special containers, boxes, and so on to organize your stuff and thereby achieve simplicity.
(List obtained from ‘Voluntary Simplicity: Living and Having More with Less’, Great River Earth Institute)
It is my hope that this article has whetted one’s appetite to learn more about the Deep Ecology Movement, its philosophical underpinnings and methods for action. Additionally, it is my hope that an appreciation can be garnered for the very real heathen philosophical underpinnings found in this socio-political movement. But more so, it is my hope that reading this article might incite the reader to translate his or her heathen ethos into real practical deeds.
It's a pretty basic article--nothing fancy or deep--but at least it might entice a few to respond.... :)
Cheers All!...Aemma
Heathenry and the Deep Ecology Movement
On relating the end of the Viking era, Gwyn Jones, in his book A History of the Vikings, portrays the would-be last days of the Northern People in the following manner:
As in the legendary sixth century and the viking heyday [the ordinary Northman] continued to go about his business, and it was the same business. The land was farmed with love and diligence. The long flat Danish landscape, the high Norwegian valleys, the clearings of the Swedish forests yielded corn or fragrant grass; sheep grazed the pastures of a thousand islands between Alands and the west Greenland archipelago, and on the mainlands went up to the seter and the heiði in spring and fattened there till the first cold nights of autumn. (p. 388)
The land was farmed with love and diligence. Of all that we’ve come to learn about this proud and pragmatic people, no truer but oft forgotten notion exists: the Northman shared a special relationship with the land. That he often sought new land of his own throughout his a-viking activities is attested by the findings of history; that he enjoyed a spiritual bond with any land upon which he stood and lived and its various non-human beings who inhabited it is equally attested to. It is my contention that this attachment to the land, to the sacredness of Nature more specifically, has been a deeply ingrained notion carried forward throughout the ages by the Germanic People and has found its expression in the development of the Deep Ecology Movement. Nay, more than an ordinary expression of an ethic long ago imbedded in the Germanic psyche, the Deep Ecology Movement is a true expression of the ethos of a people bound to its reality as a created being among many others sharing Mother Jörð’s sacred bounty.
The Ethos of a People:
“When the sons of Bórr were walking along the sea-strand, they found two trees, and took up the trees and shaped men of them….” (Gylfaginning, IX) is what we are told in the Prose Edda about our humble beginnings. These three sons of Bórr bestowed upon us the many gifts of life: Odin, the gifts of spirit and life; Vili, the gifts of wit and feeling; and Vé, the gifts of form, speech, hearing, and sight. In the Poetic Edda (Bellows, 2004), Man and Woman’s beginnings are recounted as the following:
“Then from the throng did three come forth,
From the home of the gods, the mighty and gracious;
Two without fate on the land they found,
Ask and Embla, empty of might.
Soul they had not, sense they had not,
Heat nor motion, nor goodly hue;
Soul gave Othin, sense gave Hönir,
Heat gave Lothur and goodly hue.”
(Voluspa, Stanzas 17-18)
The story of our beginnings, though modest, is very clear: we were not created in the image of some alien desert god. Instead, the story of our own creation is one that is as organic and of Nature as is the story of the rest of the creatures who inhabit Midgard. We were shaped of trees our lore tells us; Ask and Embla are our early ancestors. Though the gods have given us shape, form, feelings and all of our human characteristics, we are not told that any of these characteristics emulate those of the gods. Rather, we are left with the definite sense that we are beings moulded from this earth, fashioned from the trees that grace Midgard. There is no sense of superiority or lording over any of Mother Jörð’s creatures by Germanic Man. Instead, he is fully cognizant of the fact that he is just one being among many others.
In his On Being a Pagan, Alain de Benoist passionately makes the argument that, though the public perception of heathenry seems to have taken the most unfortunate turn of events as identifying heathenry merely as a ‘nature religion’ perpetuated by the Judaeo-Christian agenda to make it devoid of any notion of ‘spirit’, as a religion, heathenry, in reality, instead espouses a complete and more complex view of itself. De Benoist states: “The theology of paganism [note: de Benoist uses the term ‘paganism’ to denote ‘heathenry’] is not a theology of nature but a theology of the world. Nature displays the face of being, but does not constitute its ultimate determination.” (de Benoist, 1981, p. 155)
Furthermore de Benoist asserts:
…[P]aganism, far from being something that can be characterized as a denial of spirituality or a rejection of the sacred, consists on the contrary in the choice (and reappropriation) of another spirituality, another form of the sacred….[I]t poses a fundamentally religious relationship between man and the world—and a spirituality that appears to us as much more intense, much more serious, and stronger than what Judaeo-Christianity claims for itself. Far from desacralizing the world, it sacralizes it in the literal sense of the word; it regards the world as sacred—and this is precisely…the core of paganism. (de Benoist, p. 16)
Moreover, “…in ancient Europe the sacred was not conceived as opposed to the profane but rather encompassed the profane and gave it meaning.” (de Benoist, p. 17) The logical conclusion to be derived? Ours is not the idea of a false duality between the sacred and the world, but one where the world and the sacred are one:
…[T]he sacred vests itself as mystery in this world, that it is based on the intimacy shared by man and the world….Paganism sacralizes and thereby exalts this world whereas Judaeo-Christian monotheism sanctifies and thereby retreats from this world. Paganism is based on the idea of the sacred. (de Benoist, p. 18)
Thus not only are we left with the idea that all of life which derives sustenance from Mother Jörð is sacred but we are also left with the undeniable truth of the meaning of our own existence: we, the descendants of Ask and Embla, are also part and parcel of the sacred nature of Mother Jörð and we equally require sustenance from her loving self.
But more importantly, the essence of Germanic Man’s stance with respect to his relationship with Nature is further delineated: he harbours a deep reverence for Nature, one not born from a false dualistic ideology which fosters the misguided notion of man’s stewardship of something other than himself (Nature) as espoused by Judaeo-Christian teachings. But instead it is an ideology based on the precepts of mutual respect for self and surroundings and other living Midgardian beings, seen, felt or otherwise. This presupposes an extant philosophy of not so much the belief in the ‘egalitarianism’ of beings which inhabit Midgard but more so the belief in the ‘likeness in metaphysical state’ of all of said beings—we are all part and parcel of Mother Jörð’s bounty. My wish in using this latter phrase is not to espouse any pantheistic or even atomistic notions of creation but simply to relate our likeness, not so much in kind, but more so in degree, in relation to our place in Nature. And it is this deep-seated notion of Germanic Man’s sense of respect for self and his outer-world (the natural environment) that has manifest itself in the works of Arne Næss and his Deep Ecology movement.
Deep Ecology--A Modern Germanic Man’s Approach to Environmentalism:
Arne Næss, a Norwegian philosopher, is well known for his initiation and development of the Deep Ecology movement. According to Michael E. Zimmerman, Professor of Philosophy at Tulane University in New Orleans:
Deep ecology is founded on two basic principles: one is a scientific insight into the interrelatedness of all systems of life on Earth, together with the idea that anthropocentrism - human-centeredness - is a misguided way of seeing things. Deep ecologists say that an ecocentric attitude is more consistent with the truth about the nature of life on Earth. Instead of regarding humans as something completely unique or chosen by God, they see us as integral threads in the fabric of life. They believe we need to develop a less dominating and aggressive posture towards the Earth if we and the planet are to survive.
The second component of deep ecology is what Arnie Næss calls the need for human self-realization. Instead of identifying with our egos or our immediate families, we would learn to identify with trees and animals and plants, indeed the whole ecosphere. This would involve a pretty radical change of consciousness, but it would make our behavior more consistent with what science tells us is necessary for the well-being of life on Earth. We just wouldn't do certain things that damage the planet, just as you wouldn't cut off your own finger.
(Introduction to Deep Ecology, online article Global Climate Change IC #22)
Deep Ecology defines itself as a more complex method of viewing the world as opposed to that defined by Shallow Ecology, whereby the latter view purports the following:
…[P]eople start from an assumption, often unexamined, that human beings are the central species in the Earth's ecosystem, and that other beings and parts of systems are of less importance or value. In its extreme manifestations, shallow ecology views other beings and features of the Earth as resources for human use, and fails to see their intrinsic value or their value to each other. (Great River Earth Institute)
The former view, on the other hand, professes the following:
[It is] an ecology that goes deeper by placing humans within ecosystems, different but not better or more valuable than other species or other "beings" such as rivers and rocks and clouds. This may seem self-evident, and to an ecologist it may seem fundamental to the entire science of ecology; but this removing of humans from the center actually challenges ways of thinking that have been taught so long they seem like "the way things are." (Great River Earth Institute)
To be sure, Shallow Ecology is heavily based on the Judaeo-Christian concept of ‘stewardship’ that Arne Næss once described in the following not-so-glowing terms:
The arrogance of stewardship consists in the idea of superiority which underlies the thought that we exist to watch over nature like a highly respected middleman between the Creator and Creation." (Wikipedia “Deep Ecology”)
At its very core then, Deep Ecology, with its greater appreciation for the intricacies of the interrelationships and interdependencies between different life forms found living in Mother Jörð’s bosom, also touches upon the spiritual nature inherent in this philosophy. Harkening back to Germanic Man’s very spiritual sense of reverence toward his environment and his knowledge that he is but one part of the matrix of Life on Midgard, the modern human operating from the Deep Ecology model acknowledges that his is a more spiritual approach to environmentalism. As Helena Norberg-Hodge, Swedish philosopher, linguist, activist, and Director of the International Society for Ecology and Culture shares:
To me, the essence of deep ecology is moving beyond a type of environmentalism which is still based on a highly reductionist and a highly distant approach to the living world, to the natural world. To me, the essence of deep ecology is an expression of the need to develop a deep spiritual and, and - both [sic] spiritual, intellectual and physical connection to the living world around us, to the cosmos. That's, for me, the essence of deep ecology. (Transcript of the documentary film: The Call of the Mountain, 1997)
Instead of seeking to manage and control the environment for the purposes of catering to the needs of humans, the deep ecologist, starting from a more spiritual understanding of Life, seeks to live respectfully amidst the myriad life forms present on Midgard. In disputing the humanist claim that today’s view of ‘bigger means greater’ (as in better), Bill Devall, co-author of Deep Ecology: Living As If Nature Mattered shares this insight:
I think the problem with humanism is its arrogance and its... hubris. To say that humans are superior to nature or separate from nature, is to deny, or defy, the laws of ecology. Humans have crossed from the first world of nature into the second world of culture, but to say that it is the destiny of humans to control something that is larger than ourselves, to control a system which is larger than ourselves, is to place humans as, basically, gods on this planet.
The deep, long range ecology movement sees humans as having very unique qualities, very special qualities. There's nothing in the deep, long range ecology movement that is anti-human, that denigrates humans, either as individuals or as communities or as a species.
The critique of modernism and of humanism in the deep, long range ecology movement is that humanism has confused 'bigness' with 'greatness'. Humanists attempt to develop bigger societies, bigger technology, mega-technology, and claim that with bigger technology humans are becoming greater. Greatness, in deep ecology, is cultivated through understanding of humility; that humans are plain citizens, in the words of ecologist Aldo Leopold, plain citizens of natural systems, not lords and masters. (Transcript of the documentary film: The Call of the Mountain, 1997)
And finally Arne Næss himself explains his philosophical stance clearly:
The term 'deep ecology', or better, 'to be a supporter of the deep ecology movement', that is a long term, but is more basic. That is: to join in activism, to get rid of the ecological crisis. To join on the basis of your life-philosophy or religion. That is to say: your motivation comes from your total view or your philosophical, religious opinions, so that you feel, when you are working in favour of free nature, you are working for something within your self, that demands that, demands changes. So you are motivated from what I call the 'deeper premises'. You go all the way back…. (Transcript of the documentary film: The Call of the Mountain, 1997)
Indeed, given the above, one can now easily argue that ‘to go all the way back’ to one’s ‘deeper premises’ in this instance is to have rekindled one’s Heathen spiritual roots--that legacy left by our ancestors and gods for us to live in tandem with the other life forces here on Midgard.
Philosophical Conviction Translated Into Deeds:
To be sure, the Deep Ecology movement continues to tacitly promote an underlying Heathen-friendly worldview by virtue of the fact that the movement itself demands action from its adherents. As the Foundation for Deep Ecology emphasizes in the very last point of its 8 point platform: “those who subscribe to the foregoing points have an obligation directly or indirectly to participate in the attempt to implement the necessary changes.” (‘Deep Ecology Platform’ from the Foundation for Deep Ecology) The question remains however: How does one participate? Næss’s reply would be simple: Practise your own ecological wisdom considering your own place-specific requirements and realities. The famous adage ‘Think globally; act locally’ might also be remembered since true participation in the process—action—is at the core of the message. What deeds in particular might one engage in? There is a multitude of things that one can act upon, from choosing to live a simpler life, to making better consumer choices, to actively disengaging from the rampant consumer monoculture. The following, provided by the Great River Earth Institute, is a list of small do-able activities with which one may want to start:
De-clutter your house. Go through clothes, kitchenware, knickknacks, gadgets, small appliances and other possessions and give away or recycle some. Do this until you feel there is some air in your home, some space between the things.
Try cooking more meals from scratch. This may sound like the opposite of simplifying, since cooking from scratch can take more time and be more complicated than microwaving a meal from a box, or ordering a pizza. However, you can make larger quantities and freeze the extra for a quick meal later. You also can avoid huge amounts of packaging, which is expensive and wasteful.
Ride public transit or a bicycle to get around. If possible, don’t even own a car. You’ll save thousands of dollars every year from insurance, registration, maintenance and gas. And you’ll never have a freeway accident, a breakdown or get caught in a traffic jam.
Buy products with the least packaging possible. You will save money as well as resources and reduce your garbage.
Buy in bulk. Food co-ops have many foods available in bins from which you fill your own container.
Learn to mend clothing, toys, furniture and other items. Sewing holes in shirts and pants can be a relaxing activity. Darning socks and tights is a bit more difficult, but can double or triple the life of these items.
Instead of going to a movie, invite some friends over to play charades, Trivial Pursuit, Scruples or some other game, play music together, or read a play. Storytelling as an art is coming back—anyone can tell stories.
Borrow or rent large items that you don’t use often, such as tools, garden equipment and party utensils. You can even rent a car for trips.
Instead of traveling to faraway places for vacation, look closer to home. Explore the place you live. You will save money on travel as well as accommodations and food, which always cost more at popular vacation spots.
Buy clothes and household items second-hand.
Get off mailing lists. Write to: Direct Marketing Association, Mail Preference Service, P.Ol Box 9008, Farmingdale, NY 11725-9008 to have your name removed from lists rented to catalog companies and other direct mail solicitors. This will reduce your mail, save paper and trees, and reduce your exposure to tempting merchandise. Remember to request that your name not be sold to other companies whenever you subscribe to any publication or join any organization.
Start a compost pile for yard waste and food waste from the kitchen. This may seem less simple than throwing everything into the garbage, but it will help you to waste less food as you become more aware of where it is going, while reducing garbage, which could save money. The side benefit is, of course, a rich soil additive that will make your garden and all your trees and shrubs grow healthier.
Reuse everything you can, from jars and containers to nails to clothing. You will need to buy much less new stuff.
Don’t fall for the new advertising gimmick using the language of simplicity to sell all kinds of things—even $30,000 cars. Simplicity isn’t about having the right stuff. It isn’t a style. And don’t fall for the idea that you need a lot of special containers, boxes, and so on to organize your stuff and thereby achieve simplicity.
(List obtained from ‘Voluntary Simplicity: Living and Having More with Less’, Great River Earth Institute)
It is my hope that this article has whetted one’s appetite to learn more about the Deep Ecology Movement, its philosophical underpinnings and methods for action. Additionally, it is my hope that an appreciation can be garnered for the very real heathen philosophical underpinnings found in this socio-political movement. But more so, it is my hope that reading this article might incite the reader to translate his or her heathen ethos into real practical deeds.