On what side of the divide between nature and culture do you live? Or are you one of the few who are living wholeheartedly in the Biosphere? The biosphere that embraces everything alive, including humans.
I used to be a nature-person, but then something unexpected happened. This text from my diary, April 2011, tells the story:
“Yesterday evening, during meditation, the Field of Humanity
emerged/came down on me or how to say it. I was a part of it, inside, at home. Breathed in deeply. One with all of humanity. Humanity as a specific field of consciousness that I’m a part of.
Feel like a lost sheep coming back to the herd. A herd I never belonged to. I didn’t even know it existed. Not in this way.
My life so far has been about the Planet and Nature. It has been my home and focus, where my heart has been. Humanity has been a concept – all those other people living on the Planet. Tonight, I dared to open to the pain – all the pain humans suffer, the suffering we, as humans, cause other beings, my pain of being a part of this, the pain of being able to do almost nothing about all this pain and suffering.
When the pain had finished its session in me, I dropped into the embrace of ”Everything is perfect as it is”. To not go crazy on this Planet, you either have to numb yourself or hold a
paradox.”
Greater Distance, More Love
The day after, when I went for a walk, I met a beautiful pheasant. I, as a human, met the bird. We were in different fields. It was a bigger distance between us than before, but more love. Before we were both inside the field of Nature and more of the same; a we. Now it was a different love. Then I met a woman I know, and we also had a different relationship, much closer, less
distance, we were two human beings interacting.
After this experience, I could hear from which perspective someone I spoke with came; whether they identified with the field of Nature or the field of Humans. My environmentalist and nature photographer friends mostly belonged to the former, my other friends to the latter.
So, what are the perspectives, and where do you belong?
THEY Destroy Nature!
Nature-people feel deep pain when a forest is cut down, when the bees get fewer, when ecosystems collapse, and species go extinct. To handle the pain, we disassociate from humanity. It’s THEM destroying nature, not me. I’m not part of this!
We grieve every extinct species for the loss in itself, and every habitat loss is a wound in our body. We pay a high price for this; we always feel a vague distance from other people. Although we are accustomed to it, we assume this is how it is for everyone.
As a nature-person, my challenge is to realise that I belong to the Embrace of Humanity, unconditionally. My life is part of the destruction of the planet. It hurts, but it’s true. To dare to feel into my personal part in the destruction and my part as a member of Humanity. However, being a part of Humanity also lets me take pride in all our remarkable human achievements and feel more at home among other humans. For me, this has been very healing.
Humans First!
Human-people feel pain when other humans suffer; we humans are the important ones. Nature is over there, and I’m not a part of IT, I’m a human. Though, of course, I can visit nature and enjoy its beauty and go hiking, biking, skiing. Outdoor life is great for my health.
We disassociate from nature, and the guilt and grief we may feel are towards future generations of humans. We talk about preservation and sustainability from our human-centred
perspective. We protect the animals and plants for the benefit of our economy, and we are grateful for all the ecosystem services nature gives us. And pandas are adorable and should be saved, so my grandkids can enjoy them, and we don’t know what plants may provide us with a drug for a disease, so we should keep the rainforests.
As a human-person, my challenge is to feel into all the pain we cause other living beings on the planet. To sincerely grieve the death of every tree and bumblebee. Not as a loss for us humans, but as a loss in its own right, to meet the guilt. And to feel into the truth that I’m part of life on Earth, part of our vast family tree and the global ecosystem.
On the other side of this process lies a deep belonging to both Humanity and the Biosphere.
The Biosphere Transcends the Human–Nature Divide
Nature and Culture are words of separation. The word Biosphere transcends and includes both; that’s why I prefer to use it when we are talking about the bigger picture. But when I’m going for a walk in the forest or planning a trip to the theatre, nature and culture make perfect sense.
Daring to belong may require some courage and time.
To own the guilt and become aware that I belong to both
Humanity and the Biosphere.
Unconditionally.
It’s the only path forward.