Spiritual Ecology
Course Reflection
ANTH 444
Garrett Woo
Spiritual Ecology. When I first saw the title of this course, I didn’t understand the meaning. To be completely honest, a friend of mine suggested that we take this course together. I agreed but later he told me he had to drop the class because the credits would not count towards his major. But since I am an anthropology major, I had no issue with the credits for the reason that he had, so I decided to stick with the class. I am glad I stayed. Little did I know that this course would change my attitude regarding spirituality in nature and even open me up to changing or adapting to healthier ways of living (healthier for myself as well as healthy for the planet).
Spiritual Ecology is a combination of world issues such as ecological conservation, globalization, and health and wellness with the addition of spiritual practice. Through spiritual ecology, we may find an understanding of how we can live our lives in a way that is healthy and sustainable. It starts with the individual and he/her personal journey which grows and spreads to have an ecological impact.
As a civilization that is driven by progress, the Industrial Revolution is seen as a major milestone in our history. But what is seen as one of the greatest achievements of our species, may also be what lead to our downfall. (our extinction?) With this explosion of technology rapidly advancing through time, we have lost touch with our inner connection to nature. As modern humans, we encouraged a culture based on consumerism. We have made advances in industry that allow us to feed an exponentially growing population. We have only begun to see the affect that these technologies are hurting the species. And not only our species, but every species of plant and animal on the planet. The planet itself.
This planet does not naturally produce enough to recourses to sustain our still growing populating. We need to inject the soil with artificial fertilizers, pesticides, and other chemicals (that are harmful to the environment) just to produce enough food year after year for our culture. That’s only in our first world country and we are only just beginning to see the way in which these modern technologies are harming our host (the Earth). The situation in third world countries is much worse. The lack of access to a clean water source is a real problem for families in impoverish villages. Plus, the market economy makes it so, not only is a clean water source scarce it is also even further regulated and restricted by corrupted governments and officials with power.
The new awareness I have gained from the environmental courses have caused me to ask myself how can I do my part? How I fit this new eco-spiritual, sustainable lifestyle into the tailored, modern world we live in? Some of the more subtle, environmentally friendly changes that we can all do are recycling, eating less red meat, making sure all the lights and power cords are turned off, and taking shorter showers. These are all positive actions, however this alone will not have a profound enough effect on the hole that we have dug ourselves. From this class I have learned another way we may have a larger effect and actually make a noticeable change. Similar to what Jesus say in the Bible, we must free ourselves from our material desires and worldly possessions. In doing this, we may find peace within ourself have no desire. We also need to find a way to express this massage without sounding aggressing or threatening. In the past, environmentalist resorted to fear and shock in order to get their message to resinate with you. Understandably, it is not easy to pass along such an urgent message without sounding at least slightly threatening. The challenge for new environmentalist will be to find a more efficient and affective way to relay this type of urgent problem that we are all facing.
Why does the planet not receive the same respect and care that we give our own bodies? It is difficult to explain why we should be selfless with our resources when consumption means competing for survival. This idea alone is the fundamental basis of our problems. We are always competing; against ourselves, each other, the world. Everything is a compition to have the most. In order to make a noticeable, lasting change, we must learn to share with each other, and not be selfish. It’s is by no means going to be an easy transition. Like I said before, the way we can get the ball rolling is for everyone to start at the individual level. We must learn to love ourselves through spiritual practice and proper nutrition; this will put us in a healthy mental and physical state. From there, we can project this healthy positive view of the natural world to others. Everyone has heard the golden rule, “Treat others how you want to be treated.” However, what a lot of people don't realize is that this doesn't only apply to other humans, but also animals and the planet over all.