005 - Bridging Indifference
how our species is fostering biophobia
welcome to 005
Biophobia: strong negative emotions and attitudes towards nature. Current evidence suggests that the prevalence of biophobia is high and increasing, especially in more developed and urbanised (sic) societies. Despite this, the importance of biophobia has largely been overlooked in discussions about human-nature interactions. 1
Raise your hand if you do not mind a bit of dirt around your cuticles, or mud streaked up your calves, or even that grime line on your neck that embeds with soil, wings of gnats, and maybe a thread or two of spider webbing.
If you raised your hand, did you know you are becoming part of a declining statistic? Sort of depressing. What does this mean, 005 – Bridging Indifference, might bring some clarity.
coyote carries a fawn
A couple of years ago our game camera captured a photo of a coyote carrying a fawn. The fawn obviously dead and shortly to be devoured in the darkness of the forest. For a moment, it was one of the saddest photos I had ever seen but nature, she is sometimes ruthless in her bites. Other times I have seen the snowy wing prints of an owl with a few blood droplets that point the direction the owl flew into. And little can be worse than the sound of a bunny when chased to its death by most anything that is a predator to these furry bundles that are so very often prey. But there is also so much beauty, like moose sipping from ponds. So, when I read that homo sapiens are backing up from nature, that it is something to be avoided because it can be messy, disgusting2, I also recognize that lack of connection breeds indifference3. This indifference intensifies into ignorance of the natural world. That alarms me more than what happens in legislative halls conversing about the environment and Jackson Hole-type private communities protecting environment4.
Last week I began a new project and like with all projects it is difficult to know what to expect. I often write myself into a story so outcomes can be a bit willy-nilly. But this research feels intentional and worthwhile. I feel confident with the project because I have a plan (::snort:) with defined boundaries (what are those again). I mean, I only want a bit of clarity in perspective (never mind, I should just quit now and write a fantasy folk story) but I noticed a theme years ago as a guide and I hope taking myself out of the defining equation might be useful in how to tell future stories. Anecdotes and narratives that resonate and create a tangible outcome. A positive impact you, as the reader, can partake.
For three weeks we explored a bit of groundwork for this blog. Structure, as in sturdy, supportive, even a safety construct. Nyctinasty (wow, what a confusing term), as an idea of claiming to be our most productive self, and tenacity in terms of evaluating our deepest root. So here we are, striving to bring the first three postings full circle.
My research project is an endeavor to understand the perceived differences between three terms: outdoors, nature, and the environment. My concern is that others do not define them differently, like maybe my experiences and time outside has caused me to over-analyze but already, my interviewees are sharing proof to the query. My interviewee said today, “If nature is gone, my daughter will not be able to climb trees.” This made my heart ache. In an overgrown yard with bramble bushes swimming in white flowers, water trickling down an irrigation ditch carved because water is pushing her land downhill, and places to forage for ramps and fiddleheads, I wonder what will happen when there exists so little space to let the senses bob in all these possibilities. To understand the cycle of life and death, where food comes from, and how imagination comes from free play.
moving forward
With a bit of structure and internal investigation, I hope you have found a place to be open to learning more and seeing more. We all need safe places to explore and that means a seat at the table to ask questions (please ask). I hope this will be that space for you to shine at dipping your toe into the mud and searching for the deepest root that ties you to earth. The land, just a blue’ish ball hurling through a planetary neighborhood, but something here, now, and worth talking about.
Your homework for this week.
Spend a few minutes to dig into your overworked, mostly too tired brain and ask yourself, “If I were to spend 30 minutes of my screen time to a different screen, the outdoor one, what might I find?”
Then, choose one something (a tree, nearby trail, the moon rise/set) and plan to make it a project of your observation.
Share your something in the comments.
Extra Credit: Do you have a single definition for outdoors, nature, and environment or a different characterization for each. Share in the comments.
takeaways
Disconnection from nature proffers a shorter attention span, less physical activity, reduced opportunity for stress reduction, and loss of spiritual benefits (no matter your spiritual choice).
Humans must want nature as a place to simply be or explore. Otherwise, her availability is threatened by development.
Ignorance of the natural world is a real thing. Its own illiteracy, which fosters an opportunity for others to dictate what is valuable and promotes concrete isolation.
I choose the great blue heron who lives in our cove. Have already watched her catch fish twice and noticed she always pauses while it flips and wriggles before swallowing whole. Then she bends down and takes a dainty few sips of water. What must it be like to have food and drink literally at your feet. Her patient attention and waiting impress me.
I tend to the lazy use of nature and environment interchangeably. I don’t say “outdoors” much. The words annoy me because they are themselves distancing. We *are* nature. Here’s a clip on the etymology of “environment” -
The noun 'environment' has its etymological roots in the Old French 'environ' and 'en- vironer' (referring to such terms as 'circuit', 'surround', 'enclose', and 'circumstances'). The Oxford English Dictionary gives 1603 as the date of the first usage of 'environment'.
It’s so abstract!
Have you ever looked into “solastalgia”? Your interviewee seems to be expressing that.
Thanks for another thought-provoking post!
“never mind, I should just quit now and write a fantasy folk story” — haha! Busted! 🙃