free blog- is nature-deficit disorder a real thing?

http://www.psmag.com/blogs/the-101/nature-deficit-disorder-outdoors-outside-54707/

Before reading this article, I already knew "nature-deficit-disorder" existed- whether that's what we should call it or not, it doesn't matter. All I know is that kids and people in general are increasingly spending less and less time outside as we technologically progress and as jobs get more and more specialized. I find this to be a huge problem, which is why I want to go into Wilderness Therapy, which involves taking kids into the wilderness to help them with their problems. We have to make kids relearn how to enjoy the environment and how to play outside and connect with nature. It used to be a natural concept or a natural part of being to enjoy nature, but through industrialization, we have lost so much. Sometimes I think of the future of humanity and I get scared. The values of western society are continually drifting from my own values and what I deem important. Yes, nature-deficit-disorder has come into existence what with the birth of video games, television, internet, cars, and the desk-job. This is why such jobs such as wilderness therapists are in great need- to help rebalance society and to de-stress individuals, igniting and fostering an appreciation of the outdoors and revealing an alternative perspective on life.

Blog # 12

I would most definitely join the Green Party because I believe in non-violence and in Grassroots organizing. I think our country is far too large scale and we need to bring power back to the communities and not let multi-national corporations have so much control over the decisions that directly affect our lives. I think all aspects of green values should be incorporated into a green party. Social justice, grassroots democracy, non-violence, decentralization, local economies, gender and feminism equity, respect for diversity, global and environmental responsibility are all extremely important in an equal and just society that we hope to create. These values most definitely align with the Green Party. The Earth First! activists are extremely radical in their attempts to stop environmental exploitation. I don’t disagree with what they are doing, but I’m not sure if I would partake personally. I have to wonder if there is a more effective way of initiating change. If not, I would consider participating. It’s a hard decision to make because these people dedicate their lives to this sort of action. But, if I wanted to ever do anything else professionally, I’m not sure I would because it would surely go on my personal record. 

blog # 11

I was raised as a Seventh-day Adventist, but my religious background has no effect on my view of spiritual ecology. My family nor myself identify as being Adventist and have not done so for over ten years. After having left the Adventist church, my family “church-shopped” for a while, but never really found that sense of community we had felt in the Adventist church. We wanted that sense of belonging and purpose, only without all the negative aspects of church. Then we found the Unitarian church, which has thus far served our spiritual and communal needs. The Unitarian church encompasses spiritual ecology and all other accepting and loving ways of belief and living. They are egalitarian, open-minded, non-judgmental, and spiritually fulfilling. The Gaia Hypothesis was a bit hard to understand, but from what I got out of it, it seems to make sense that our universe is a cosmic whole and that everything simultaneously relies on each other in order to survive and thrive. I also do believe in a hyper-masculine culture, but I think the world is slowly but surely changing. If you look around you, most of the world’s power lies within white, male hands. I see it changing by spreading awareness of this and by empowering women to take more roles which they shy away from because of socialization. 

Blog # 9

Rejection of man-in environment image: I agree with this philosophy and believe that we shouldn’t view ourselves as in the environment, but part of it. We are not above the environment or masters of it, but intricately connected with it.

Biospherical egalitarianism: I also agree with this concept. We should not abuse the environment, but take care of it. This includes killing only when necessary because every living entity has the right to live. This is a reason I believe in being a vegetarian. It is completely possible to thrive off a meat-free diet and has also proven to be healthier. I don’t eat meat because it’s not necessary for my survival.

Principles of diversity and symbiosis: Diversity is important because it enhances and enriches life itself. Coexisting is vital to a healthy and happy world. I don’t think survival of the fittest should be our motto as humans. Living in complex relationships with other animals and living organisms is vital to a fulfilling life and also to overcome exploitation and oppression.

Anti-class posture: I had never thought about this concept before, but now that I think about it, it’s true! A lot of the time, diversity can be derived from negative aspects of our culture, such as diversity between classes. People in different classes are given different opportunities, which is unfair. Some people gain because of other peoples’ losses. Although diversity is important, we should develop classless diversity, rather than a diversity based on oppression.

Fight against pollution and resource depletion: I know that fighting against pollution and resource depletion is important, but so are the other aspects of ecology. Fighting for these issues solely does only skim the top of deep ecology, but not everyone is going to agree with green philosophy, therefore I think if people recycle for different reasons, that’s ok too.

Complexity, not complication: I also agree with this concept. I dislike that our society is so segregated in terms of labor. Fragmentation of labor has really divided our society so that we all no longer interact with everyone, but rather with people from our own class, who are also likely to be in the same segregated job level.

Local autonomy and decentralization: I definitely believe in local economies. I think local businesses should be the main money income for towns and cities. I dislike large corporations who take advantage of third world countries for their resources and services and who treat their employees with unkindness because they can. These types of jobs are unfulfilling and empty. Large corporations have also allowed us to become ever-more-so separated from the source of our “stuff” and therefore unaware of how our decisions as consumers affect the rest of the world.

After reading “Deep Ecology”, I do think that Devall and Sessions are accurate with the outline of the Dominant Worldview and the Deep Ecology view. The dominant worldview is that we are separate from everything else around us, as well as each other. Western culture especially emphasizes the idea of the individual identity, which leaves out a vital part of our beings: the other living entities surrounding us. I think it is important to discover who we are and the ways we perceive ourselves in relation to the Whole, and those around us. Deep ecology does go beyond the “narrowly materialist scientific understanding of reality”, which is largely the dominant worldview, or perhaps, the dominant western worldview. I think deep ecology has everything to do with including the nonhuman world in regards to how we live, decisions we make, and respect for other beings, acknowledging their right to live and prosper. Something that needs to be realized in the dominant worldview is that when we harm other aspects of nature, we are essentially harming ourselves, and we need to be taken accounted for those oppressive actions. Hierarchies within humanity as well as within the environment should not exist, because we essentially all need each other. Therefore, one species cannot be better than another. I loved the phrase “simple in means, rich in ends” because I think it is so true! This is a good motto to live by because once this truth is realized, I think people could live with much more fullness and joy. Western culture likes to complicate matters. Because of our obsession with dominance, there becomes perceived boundaries: us vs. them. Once we stop regarding ourselves as isolated, separate, and higher than everything else, we can experience true satisfaction. Once society stops fostering false needs and destructive desires through the production and consumption of goods, can we realize our potentiality for peace. 

Blog # 8

Preconditions necessary for using consensus decision-making are knowing the people with whom you are making the decision. It also involves loving them and respecting them. Making decisions together like this can either build or break community. Consensus decision making is all about the process and not just about the results. The concept of the end justifies the means does not apply with consensus decision making. In Western culture, there is such a great emphasis on “individual rights” that we tend to forget about the good of the community. Consensus decision-making is inclusive and is about working as a whole unit. It is non-hierarchal and takes into consideration everyone’s opinions. Although sometimes decisions made does not meet everyone’s expectations, it satisfies everyone well enough for the good of the group. The objective of consensus is that everyone partakes in and agrees with the decision, although not everyone is going to be in “absolute, total alignment”. Consensus is a feminine form of decision-making. It involves loving and respecting each other. It is also an answer to the concept of bioregionalism, in which we as human beings have lost our place on this earth in chaos and therefore must answer our need of survival. The only way to answer this need is through consensus and working together.  

Blog # 7

Culture-jamming is the practice of using the American culture to point out the flaws of the American culture and its values. Culture-jamming comes in the forms of advertisements, holidays, magazines, cartoons, and commercials. Culture-jamming “fights fire with fire”, thus advertisements are used to discourage advertisements and holidays to discourage consumerism, making culture-jamming an ironic method of awareness and action. Culture-jamming spreads awareness about the third world war, which is argued, will take place mentally, inside our own heads. They bring to awareness in the forms of satire, irony, and parodies the many different aspects of the “mental environmentalist”, thus discouraging consumerism, replacing it and other mindless and mentally static activities with civic engagement and intimate interaction, and promoting the freedom of speech and the access involved to have your voice heard. 

Culture-jamming is one of the best tools for activism. I fully believe in its effectiveness and its aim to make us all think twice about what we consider to be “the norm”. Its messages and methods of being heard are radical, but nonetheless successful and I think it’s just the slap in the face that America needs to wake up and start changing.

Blog # 6 Ecofeminism

I thought the readings for Ecofeminism were extremely thought provoking. I love how ecofeminism encompasses every aspect of environmentalism, activism, and social equality and weaves it all together, as it should be and is. I also found it interesting how Elizabeth Dodson Gray incorporated the covenant of God to man to our relationship with nature. She connected the two as they naturally are and did not segment God from nature from man, as mainstream culture does today. When we have a covenant with God, that also means having a covenant with nature and respecting it for what it is, which is essentially a part of us and also God, simultaneously. We like to think of ourselves as outside of nature, but we are animals and therefore are part of nature, with the natural world sustaining us. She also points out that because of the “original sin” idea, we allow ourselves to create and sustain a culture of domination and suppression. Because man is imperfect and harmony can only be found in heaven, we allow ourselves to dominate and oppress, because, well, we are naturally sinful and that’s what we do. What Gray argues is that we should take an account and responsibility for our actions and the ways in which we treat each other and not passively accept our “natural” behavior of aggression. I also found it interesting that societies in the past did function on a system of “partnership” and equality. In today’s time, people excuse violent behavior because it’s all we’ve ever known and early societies in the past functioned that way, so why wouldn’t we? It’s an excuse not to change our behavior, make an effort to live morally, and acknowledge our past violent ways. If societies in the past can live an egalitarian life, so can we. If societies in the past did not live an egalitarian life, we still can. What I feel is lost in today’s society is a realization, an understanding, and a feeling of empowerment that we create our reality by conscious decisions. Therefore, anything is truly possible, especially an egalitarian society where live thrives on partnership, not oppression. Therefore, even if peoples of the past did not live in harmony, that does not limit us today. We make our present and our future.

            As of right now, I would like to lead our class into a discussion of dominance, where it originated from, and how it can be changed. Ecofeminism is the embodiment of all types of oppression and I believe the most important action of today is to end that domination. More ideas of leading the class on this topic evade me at the moment, but it will come.