Appreciate many of Wendell Berry's insights. A comment on - "If we understand that Nature can be an economic asset"...
As long as we understand nature as something to economically "make money" off of and monetarily profit from, nature and human civilization will continue to lose. Nature and human life (human beings as one interdependent part of the whole of The 6 Nations of the Natural World - Animal, Bird, Fish, Plant, Insect, and Human Nations), are innately outside the understand, limits, or reach of their essence as supposedly economic assets. The great and tremendous "gift" of life is free and also priceless. When Nature is gone, no amount of "economic assets" will bring it back. Nature's worth is intrinsically beyond monetary economies; it forms and contains all of our true and lasting wealth. It is all we truly have to pass on to the next generation, and the future for which we are responsible today. "Changes in principle can be made now, by so few as just one of us," It is the change in our thinking, that will of necessity precede changes in our actions and world. Nature and life are to be treasured for their own sake, not perceived as engines for plundering to drive economic growth and assets. We mistake the purpose, meaning, and worth of life itself when we demand to economically profit from nature and natural resources. We will lose our real treasure held within the natural world by putting a monetary value on nature and life itself, and profiteering from it for worthless-in-comparison "economic assets." Solutions are here now; evolutionary solutions have been brought to us by brilliant minds in touch and tune with nature and natural processes for one hundred years or more. And yet, have we heard? Has their message been spread? Can we "afford" to continue to reject a resource-based global economy, or the technological knowledge and breakthrough understanding regarding how our earth and cosmos are fueled by free, limitless, abundant, ambient, and inherently cooling, natural energies and processes?
We can begin today to understand spiritually and more fully what composes our greatest wealth and lasting treasure, and we can claim and begin protecting our true physical wealth if we achieve the generosity of spirit and courage of heart to stand for real and full living, in harmony with each other and with nature itself and all of creation. It will involve letting go of what is holding us back; what is robbing, manipulating, destroying, and taking away the health and vitality of living and the harmonious cooperation between Peoples and the other 5 Nations of the Natural World; what is eliminating and bringing to extinction all forms of life and all our natural resources, nature, and the entire creation; what is blinding us from reaching out for our own redemption, which is and will forever be intimately tied and connected to redeeming all of creation and ensuring continuing and healthy life on our one, shared planet earth home. In reality life, like love, friendship, and even like knowledge are beyond price. All are, have been, and will continue to be freely bestowed and freely received, or we will destroy them.
On May 5, 2015 Theodora wrote:
Appreciate many of Wendell Berry's insights.
A comment on -
"If we understand that Nature can be an economic asset"...
As long as we understand nature as something to economically "make money" off of and monetarily profit from, nature and human civilization will continue to lose. Nature and human life (human beings as one interdependent part of the whole of The 6 Nations of the Natural World - Animal, Bird, Fish, Plant, Insect, and Human Nations), are innately outside the understand, limits, or reach of their essence as supposedly economic assets. The great and tremendous "gift" of life is free and also priceless. When Nature is gone, no amount of "economic assets" will bring it back. Nature's worth is intrinsically beyond monetary economies; it forms and contains all of our true and lasting wealth. It is all we truly have to pass on to the next generation, and the future for which we are responsible today. "Changes in principle can be made now, by so few as just one of us," It is the change in our thinking, that will of necessity precede changes in our actions and world. Nature and life are to be treasured for their own sake, not perceived as engines for plundering to drive economic growth and assets. We mistake the purpose, meaning, and worth of life itself when we demand to economically profit from nature and natural resources. We will lose our real treasure held within the natural world by putting a monetary value on nature and life itself, and profiteering from it for worthless-in-comparison "economic assets." Solutions are here now; evolutionary solutions have been brought to us by brilliant minds in touch and tune with nature and natural processes for one hundred years or more. And yet, have we heard? Has their message been spread? Can we "afford" to continue to reject a resource-based global economy, or the technological knowledge and breakthrough understanding regarding how our earth and cosmos are fueled by free, limitless, abundant, ambient, and inherently cooling, natural energies and processes?
We can begin today to understand spiritually and more fully what composes our greatest wealth and lasting treasure, and we can claim and begin protecting our true physical wealth if we achieve the generosity of spirit and courage of heart to stand for real and full living, in harmony with each other and with nature itself and all of creation. It will involve letting go of what is holding us back; what is robbing, manipulating, destroying, and taking away the health and vitality of living and the harmonious cooperation between Peoples and the other 5 Nations of the Natural World; what is eliminating and bringing to extinction all forms of life and all our natural resources, nature, and the entire creation; what is blinding us from reaching out for our own redemption, which is and will forever be intimately tied and connected to redeeming all of creation and ensuring continuing and healthy life on our one, shared planet earth home.
In reality life, like love, friendship, and even like knowledge are beyond price. All are, have been, and will continue to be freely bestowed and freely received, or we will destroy them.