Our reason to write this blog is threefold. First, we
have a unique perspective, shared by few. Here you will read the voices of
trees, rocks, grasses and breezes channeled through our years living within the
breathtaking wild peaks of Silver Gate, Montana.
Our life here is unusually wonderful. Many
of these blog posts are simple reflections on the Greater Yellowstone’s magic
and beauty.
But, what good would it do for us to live this wonderful life if we did nothing to prevent others from harming it?
Hence, the second reason we write is our disillusionment.
Everywhere, those professing to love the environment compromise on basics
(cars, food, energy). The posts here explain this position in
detail. We do not intend to be cruel or destructive, but we are deeply
discouraged as we watch one “environmentalist” after another succumb to conformity
and comfort. Small choices cascade into
great harm to the natural world.
Pressures are everywhere.
In our town, minds are often made in unison at a few social
hang-outs. Defending nature here takes great
courage. “I wish to speak a word for Nature,” wrote Henry David Thoreau in
1862. “For absolute freedom and wildness, as contrasted with a freedom
and culture merely civil.” In wild terrain, Thoreau was liberated from
social convention. After so long living in the wilderness, we too are
past deference.
Thirdly, we write from despair. Our vantage point from
Silver Gate affords us reverence for our world and also raises an alarm. The environmental movement as a whole is
failing in very real, material ways. Environmental catastrophe is really
big and everywhere. Obviously, the
environmental movement has been ineffective.
Collective failures do not surprise us, when we see so many individuals
sacrificing their professed values for personal desire (nicer homes, bigger
cars, another road trip).
Huge change is upon us.
Humanity’s response must be equally radical. From intact ecosystems, uninterrupted by
economics, to atmospheric wholeness, integrity at every scale will be necessary
for planetary survival. But the wholeness has to start within each of us
and our relationships. It will take personal sacrifice to tell ourselves the
truth.
This blog attempts wholeness. It is the creation of something external to
match our inner despondency. While we
connect our good life to our readers, mostly we beg readers to follow a moral directive
for the survival of this planet!
References:
Kathleen Dean Moore and Michael P. Nelson. Moral Ground; Ethical Action for a Planet in
Peril. San Antonio: Trinity
University Press, 2010. website
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