“Nature” always has the last laugh, just as it’s forcibly reminding us now. Harmony with nature was never a choice, but forced upon us over the long and short run. It’s past …
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“Nature” always has the last laugh, just as it’s forcibly reminding us now. Harmony with nature was never a choice, but forced upon us over the long and short run. It’s past time to ditch the idea imposed by “western European, Euro-American” elites since the Industrial age — and even well before — that humans can overcome nature.
Aside from the ferocious, murderous, cruel, opportunistic side of humans, there is the other side. Mountaineer Rick Ridgway sums it up best: “Our need for art, for beauty, for understanding how we fit into the universe, and how we fit into the web of life that surrounds us.”
I would add: Respect for all, equal wealth distribution, tolerance, inclusive community, real democracy; real tribalism. Many tribes still know this, many Euro-Americans as well. It is time for the Euro “elites” to re-learn from the tribes — past, present and future. Time to grow-up. Sappy as it sounds, harmony with nature is the only game in town.
Claus Dietrich
Swansonville, Port Ludlow
