EARTH LIBERATION
Please allow me to introduce myself as this is my first article for Present Time. I am John Seed (
johnseed@ozemail.com.au) and have been working for the conservation of nature since 1979 as a forest activist and campaigner. In 1981 I helped found the Rainforest information Centre the first organisation in the world dedicated to the conservation of rainforests and I remain director of that organisation. Our group of volunteers have initiated projects from New Guinea to India to Ecuador that have protected millions of acres of rainforest (see "projects" on www.rainforestinfo.org.au). In 1995 I was awarded the Order of Australia Medal by the Australian government for services to conservation.Re-evaluation Counseling has been an immensely valuable practice for me throughout my work as a way of avoiding the burnout and cynicism that seem so prevalent in the environmental community.
At the RC World Conference in 1999, Harvey Jackins asked, "What are you going to do to end the threat to our planet"?
Some of us in the RC community in northern New South Wales, Australia have been working on Earth Liberation since Lyndall Katz and I began discussing this three or four years ago.
We have begun to explore the tremendous despair and denial which surrounds the grief that we believe must lie buried in all of us as we see the Earth itself degraded and torn asunder. Consider for example the following:
In 1996, the Swiss-based World Conservation Union (IUCN), in collaboration with over 600 scientists, found that 25 percent of mammal and amphibian species, 11 percent of birds, 20 percent of reptiles, and 34 percent of fish species are threatened with extinction.
In 1998, the Worldwatch Institute informed us that world extinction rates for mammals, fish, birds, amphibians and reptiles were 100 to 1000 times greater than normal and rising sharply. 1 in 4 vertebrates is endangered and nearly half of the world's 233 primate species are now threatened.
Also in 1998, the World Wide Fund for Nature reported on the world's resource binge over the past three decades, during which they estimate a third of the world's natural resources have been consumed.
How do we feel when we are confronted by such statistics? Small and powerless? Desperate? Hopeless? What can one person do anyway?
Joanna Macy and her associates have been exploring what they have called "despair and empowerment" for more than twenty years and they report that as soon as people break the taboo against feeling our deepest feelings of despair, rage, horror and grief about what is happening to our world, as soon as we dare to express and discharge these feelings in supportive surroundings, hopelessness is reliably replaced by empowerment and creative thinking.
This comes as no surprise to RC of course.
How are we to understand our predicament? Is humankind really going to extinguish itself (itself and so much more) for want of a mote of understanding? Where are we to find the roots of our malady, the key to our helplessness?
The task of turning around what's happening to the Earth may seem so impossibly huge that we easily collude in the general denial that is around us. We may feel that the anguish and distress would be so immense if we let it in that it would crush us.
According to a Sufi tale, the wise fool Nasrudin was once searching on his hands and knees in a pool of light beneath a street lamp. A friend came by and asked what he was doing? Nasrudin said that he had lost his key and so the friend joined him in his search. After a while the friend said: "We've looked everywhere, are you sure that this is where you lost your key?"
Nasrudin replied: "Actually, (pointing), I lost it over there, but over there it's too dark to see a thing."
In spite of the fact that RC has, in Wytske Visser, a capable and committed ILRP for "Care of the Environment", yet it is undeniable that so much more of RC's energy goes into combating racism, sexism and classism than into combating the un-named "ism" that tears the natural world apart. How can our noble works to combat racism, sexism and classism succeed if we allow the biological fabric from which sex and race and class are woven to be torn asunder? Surely we must address this issue as well?
One might object that we're already so impossibly extended trying to deal with the oppressions we've already committed to ending, how can we possibly take on one more task of such proportions?
In his opening paragraph in "The Upward Trend", Harvey wrote:
"There is a general principle that if one wishes to consider an area of activity and think about it, it helps to set it in the largest possible frame of reference. If one can think of a system as embedded in another larger system, one can draw more accurate conclusions about it. Some recent theorems in mathematics come down to this: there are questions in any system that cannot be answered in that system. If one embeds the system in a larger system, however, one can perhaps get an answer that will be useful. Let us then back up, and instead of trying to talk first about immediate concerns, try to talk about the whole picture."
As overwhelming as it may seem to add yet one more liberation movement to our agendas already crammed with combating racism, classism, sexism, ageism, yet it seems to me that it is only in the over-riding context of what is happening to the Earth as a whole that we can draw appropriate conclusions about how to deal most effectively with these aberrations in the Earth's human community.
We will need to deal with our feelings of helplessness and despair before we know how to move forward. And before we can do even this we must confront the all-pervasive denial that surrounds this issue. How is it that people will risk our lives for a country, a religion, an ideology, yet when the biological fabric is threatened from which all such things are woven, we
remain aloof? To find answers I suggest we must leave the reassuring pool of light of all our familiar "isms" and step into the unknown, the mystery. Until we are willing to face the most painful questions, no answers will come. Until we step into the dark we will never find the key.
Ecophilosopher Theodore Roszak, muses on how "cultures keep secrets; they illuminate some things and suppress others." He points to the mainstream exclusion of the natural environment from psychological theory. I was honoured with an invitation to talk on this subject to the Australian Psychological Society in 1993 (http://www.rainforestinfo.org.audeep-eco/seed.htm)
There are many ways in which RC is uniquely positioned to help bring the Earth into our psychological understanding.
Zoe Cox (habitat@matra .com.au) is 20 years old and has been practicing RC for 9 years. She has been student environment officer at the University of NSW and was an intern with the Rainforest Information Centre earlier this year. At that time she led an RC meeting about RC and the environment where she shared some of her good thinking on this subject:
"I know that, as a young person, in the light of current attitudes and practices of the global human population, my chances of seeing dramatic changes to the earth in my lifetime are almost assured. Scientific predictions foretell human populations doubling while half of all other identified species become extinct. Oceans will rise, like the levels of pollution, while the forests fall and the soil loses its nutrients. The damage will soon be largely irreversible.
Of course, in some sense, this is fine. Extinction of some and evolution of others is a process that the earth is very familiar with. It has happened throughout the universe, time and again. However, I think that preserving what is left, thereby prolonging this period, holds considerable advantages for all of us.
This assertion has been held out by a considerable number of people, especially over the last few decades. They have asked (rather desperately) that humans stop, and take stock of the damage we have inflicted, and then begin afresh in a sustainable manner. But, like any oppression, it requires discharge and recognised connection to other oppressions.
So this is my project. Our project. To discharge on the earliest
memories we have of connection to our environment, and where we
have given up fighting for the earth.
To form strong alliances and personal relationships with all
people, from all backgrounds.
Wytske Visser, Care of the Environment ILRP, says that our treat
ment of our environment is a reflection of how we feel and care
about ourselves.
*The operation of classism and racism have been (and continue to be) two very significant causes of the earth's apparent degradation. Correspondingly, the exploitation of resources, air, land and water, has been vital to creating and sustaining modern capitalism, and neo-imperialism.
*working class people are set up to do the practical "dirty work" - the logging, dumping, mining, milling, - all that is hazardous and labour-intensive. Often it is these people who get targeted for blame. Working class people know the damages, and care about them. But they are placed in a very difficult economic position, in which concerns for survival often come before saving trees.
* owning class often get blamed and targetted also, serving to isolate them further.
*Blame is a concept/pattern that is commonplace in the environment movement, and one that we must give up. This blame is often accompanied by a self-righteousness/arrogance that claims that we are not the "bad" ones. Neither of these are useful to the planet, or to us getting close to each other.
*Racism is the foundation for third-world debt, for exploitation of third-world resource-rich nations by the first world. These, the economically poorest places in the world are the richest in natural resource and natural habitats. The first world instructs the third world to preserve what it has left, but offers little or no alternative to exploiting their environment (for next to nothing), as a strategy for survival for extensive populations.
The key thing to notice is that without exploitation of the Earth, capitalism, and the significant gap in wealth, could not have advanced nearly so far. It relies (and has done for centuries) on using the Earth as if it were free and without consequence.
These are just a few of the ways in which racism and classism serve to maintain exploitation of the Earth.
Suggestions for counseling:
-work on early memories about delight in/connection to the earth
-work early on feelings of despair and hopelessness -(when coun
seling on deep grief and hopelessness, keep the directions light
and playful)
-tell counsellor about anything and everything you do for your
environment, proudly
-tell your stories about your work, and how it affects your body
and the environment (particularly working class and people of
colour)
-ask of yourself what you need to discharge/do in order to act
with complete rationality and intelligence from now on
-make the decision to think in terms of a big life - do not
underestimate your power
-ask what you are going to do to end the threat to our planet
-look at where your racism and classism stops you from creating
powerful relationships for change
(mainstream environmentalism in the wide world excludes many, due
to its distinctly middle class, white, developed world patterns)
-discharge on your hurts around consumerism : e.g. on giving up
all but the barest necessities - what that would mean, telling
the counsellor all the 'things' that you want, etc.
-telling the story of what has happened to your land/waters
-appreciating and loving yourself
-try physical counselling when working on hopelessness
*there seems to be great possibilities for environment work in
r.c., and using r.c. theory in a wider world context.
Inspired by Zoe's visit, eight of us from the northern NSW RC community including north coast ARP Cass Walker, have been meeting every two or three weeks for the last 3 months in an Earth Liberation support group. We have been exploring Zoe's co-councilling suggestions, what we might call "eco-councilling". We have come up with no answers as yet to the hard questions that are raised. But we can report a tremendous sense of upliftment, relief and solidarity that we are at last addressing them.
We would encourage others to form such support groups and to join the environment electronic mailing list to share what we find, support each other in this work and make creative suggestions. If you wish to join the care of the environment electronic mailing list, please email ILRP for Care of the Environment, Wytske Visser at
vissatem@compuserve.comHere are a couple of examples of postings to that list which I found inspiring and thought-provoking:
Wytske Visser, 5 May 2000: <vissatem@compuserve.com>
"The first step in caring for our environment is to love our
selves in a passionate way, to be examples of taking loving care
of ourselves. If we love ourselves intelligently, we will auto
matically love others and love nature, and will be loved in
return."
Martin Urbel <urbel@mediaone.net> on May 31 2000:
I have an idea to propose a second point to the one-point program: "to prevent the destruction of the ecosystem in order to give the one-point program time to work."
This is based on item 1.032 in "The List" - "During the period which
seemed to be most threatening of a drift toward nuclear holocaust in
world affairs, the Community temporarily added a second subsidiary point - - to prevent nuclear holocaust in order to give the one-point program time to work."
I'm not sure how to defend this except to say that if it was rational
then, it seems rational now. What do you think?"
Here's why I think it is important that RC embraces Care of the Environment as one of our liberation movements.
* Because without a vibrant planet, relationships between races, genders, classes and ages deteriorate.
* Because much of the environment movement is so inept psychologically and needs our help to move beyond trying to terrify people into doing the right thing.
* Because there's so few people working to protect soil, air and water for ourselves and for future generations and we need to empower them in any way we can. They are no doubt "too busy" in the main to move towards RC so RC has to move towards them.
Earth workers suffer from so prevalent a rate of burnout, maybe RC could be like a "support person" for the environment movement
Why hasn't RC taken more powerful moves in this direction so far? RC seems to move slowly out from the individual. When I did my first fundamentals class in London in 1972, there were no liberation movements in RC. It was all about the individual discharging personal hurts to reclaim their occluded intelligence and zest. Then it became clear that we are oppressed not only as individuals but also as race, class and gender and that in order for us to be actualised on the level of individual, these liberation movements are essential leverage points. Finally we come to the biggest oppressed community of all, the Earth community. The oppression of Earth by damaged humans not only affects every single human being but also threatens the future of the other 30 million species with whom we co-evolved these 4 billion years and with whom we share this Earth.
In our Earth Liberation support group, we do sessions together and also encourage each other to think creatively about the issues raised and to commit our thoughts to paper for the group to discuss.
Here are some thoughts from one of our groups members, Ruth Rosenhek (ruthr@ozemail.com.au) . Ruth is a Canadian-born environmentali activist and educator who, among other things, works on protecting the Amazon headwaters (www.rainforestjukebox.org/who_benefits.html)
" SOME REFLECTIONS ON ECO-COUNSELLING
Central to the session, the counsellor upholds the truth that every human being loves and cares about the planet which birthed us as well as all the other living beings on this planet. Each of us who is aware of the increasingly degraded ecological and social conditions also feels grief over the losses of lives, entire species and ecosystems worldwide. This is the normal natural reaction to the ecological and social times we live in.
Unfortunately, there is a taboo about speaking about what is happening to the world and our subsequent feelings. While it might be helpful for the client to look at underlying childhood hurts and wounds, it is equally, if not more important, that the counsellor wholly affirms the reality of the current situation. It is important that the counsellor understands the strong taboo in western culture against any feelings that arise pertaining to ecological challenges. In our society, it is unacceptable to share feelings about clearfelling or global warming, species extinction or toxins in the air and water. The counsellor needs to affirm these sorts of feelings as exactly the kind of feelings that an intelligent well thinking human being would have who lives in this day and age.
As a matter of fact, it is only when we allow ourselves to feel our despair and grief etc, that we will find the ability to move forwards with joy and vision, engaged in environmental and social change. See Despair and Empowerment work.
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When the client alludes to what is happening in the world, it can be helpful for the counsellor to ask the client to specify in detail, rather than in broad brushstrokes. This helps to give reality to material that is oftentimes only seen on television or read about. Minis can be done on the question: What is happening in the world and how does this make you feel?
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Scanning for Earth wounds and joys - Very useful for the client to scan
through childhood to uncover early experiences in Nature, both of a positive and negative flavour. How did your parents act towards the environment? Any early experiences with fire? water? What were the messages you received about the sacredness of Nature, or lack thereof. What experiences did you have with trees and forests? etc.
THOUGHTS IN CONSTRUCTION --
Earth Liberation means humans who are free to feel and act intelligently in the face of grave environmental and social destruction.
Earth Liberation work means we lift the social taboos against looking
squarely in the face at the destruction we are wreaking on our planet.
The "Ecological Identity" as described by philosophy professor Arne Naess, is the part of our self that identifies with all life-forms, with the ecosystems, and with Gaia (our beautiful planet). Unfortunately, western culture largely oppresses and stigmatizes this part of ourself. We can work to free and understand our ecological identity and the ways this fundamental part of ourselves has been oppressed."
I would like to end this essay with a few quotes which, like the preceding, raise more questions than they answer,
Aldous Huxley, Island (NY: Harper and Row 1962 p.134):
"Science is not enough, religion is not enough, art is not
enough, politics and economics are not enough, nor is love, nor
is duty nor is action however disinterested, nor, however sub
lime, is contemplation. Nothing short of everything will really
do."
Thich Naht Hanh
" The most important thing that we can do is to hear, inside
ourselves, the sounds of the Earth crying".
Shanti Deva (12th century Buddhist Saint)
"May all sorrows ripen in me"
Alice Di Micelle (Oregon folksinger)
"I know our tears are healing
For the one who's pain we're feeling
I know our tears are healing
For the one who gave us birth
Sweet mama Earth"
Ps, on reading a draft of this article, my friend Maureen Moran, ARP for the Lismore RC community made the following comments which I think are totally valid and which I would like to append here:
2. One of the biggest limits of the environment movement is that it is such a white, middle-class phenomenon. To have an effective environment movement, it would need to have working class and black leadership.