GULF COAST ZEITGEIST
Savoring—and Saving—Planet Earth
In the 16th century the Polish astronomer Nicolaus Copernicus theorized that the earth revolved around the sun. When Galileo (1564-1642) later demonstrated the truth of that theory with his telescope, modern astronomy began—but not without resistance from those who wanted to believe that we human beings (and the planet we called ours) were and should be the “home office” of the entire cosmic enterprise. Copernican thinking, however, had removed us from the center of space; and as physicist Chet Raymo puts it: “Until the Scientific Revolution of the 17th century, meaning flowed from ourselves into the world; afterward, meaning flowed from the world to ourselves.”
Each January 1, we begin another sun-circling trip on this life-giving spaceship whose very existence challenges us to make the most of our shared journey. It’s as if Mother Nature greets us as we start the New Year the way an old friend welcomed every guest who stepped aboard his sailboat: “On this ship there are no passengers, only crew!”
We had all come out from behind closed doors to take our place in the anticipated pleasures of wide-open sea, sky and wind; but we had not realized how much more enjoyable the cruise would be when we weren’t just “along for the ride,” but also had jobs to do. Reflecting on both roles, E.B. White exclaimed: “I arise in the morning torn between a desire to improve (or save) the world and a desire to enjoy (or savor) the world. This makes it hard to plan the day.”
As both crew members and passengers aboard our world, we can heed the wisdom embodied in the ethics of every great cultural tradition—the Golden Rule. Applied with our scientific enlightenment perspective, it reads: “Love the world as you love yourself.” The oldest way to say it comes from the Hebraic insight underlying the biblical tradition: Our role vis a vis nature is not dominion but stewardship. As we journey, we are to repair the world ( tikkun olam), while hoping for and celebrating the world to come ( Olam Ha-Ba). Meanwhile, the world is a gift to be enjoyed!
The latest expression of such saving/savoring comes from the Japanese Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, which advises both careful “green” habits of conservation and regular forays outdoors to experience Shinrin-yoku (a coined phrase meaning forest-bathing). The same advice is echoed in our own country; for example, the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation just released results from studies showing that just five minutes of being outside surrounded by green plants can improve health. Scientific research has proved that breathing fresh air in the midst of trees exposes us to
phytoncides (organic compounds emitted by plants for protection against bacteria, fungi and insects). These help us by bolstering the immune system and lowering blood pressure.
“Taking in the forest” sharpens our ability to focus (even for children with ADHD), increases energy level, improves sleep and (while awake) triggers daydreaming (which psychologists define as “task-unrelated thinking”), and increases capacity for working memory. Think of a walk outside as a prescription with no negative side effects that’s also free!
For millennia when a couple has consented to marry and are ready to go inside their communal home, the groom carries the bride over the threshold. Since Copernicus and Galileo, when human beings consent to their proper relationship with nature and decide to step over the threshold to go outdoors, the scene becomes what America’s best-selling poet, Mary Oliver, describes as a well-lived life: “When it’s over, I want to say: all my life I was a bride married to amazement. / I was the bridegroom taking the world into my arms.”
There must be new contact between men and the earth; the earth must be newly seen and heard and felt and smelled and tasted; there must be a renewal of the wisdom that comes with knowing clearly the pain and the pleasure and the risk and the responsibility of being alive in this world. —Wendell Berry (American novelist, poet, environmental activist, cultural critic and farmer)