It is not only fallacious but imprudent to insist that humans are at the top of a natural hierarchy. In fact we are among the youngest and most fragile of species—and our place in the natural world is comparatively shaky. As a Siletz student of mine recently noted, plant and animal species that have been here so much longer than humans are rightfully due the respect given to our elders.
The non-human elders with which we share our ecosystems carry the ancient memory of life in their bodies, a memory that tunes them to their environment. This is something we sorely need to relearn. Without such knowledge, moderners accept life in places that have replaced and devastated natural systems. Such places smell bad, cause us difficulty in breathing, foster an atmosphere of alienation and violence—and certainly do not enliven us as do natural spaces inside and outside of cities. Such places are numbing–sometimes they are even purposefully engineered to be disorienting (as our shopping malls)–since market research that indicates we buy more if we are off balance.
Sustainable traditions, like the ones that endured for 10,000 years in the Pacific Northwest, treasured such bodily memory—even as they treasured their elders of all species. Chehalis elder Henry Cultee told me his ancestors were fond of saying, “The eyes of the world are looking at you”. The many eyes of the non-human world, that is. In turn, the way those “eyes” saw you and judged your heart would determine your longevity. Here “survival of the fittest” is based on the human fit in natural ecosystems.
This is a striking standard by which to judge human actions: attributing their moral guardianship to our non-human elders. It is both a profound and pragmatic idea. The young upstarts on this planet that we are have much to learn from our non-human elders who have endured here so much longer than ourselves.
This standard protects us from the impulse to clear cut an ancient forest or wipe out another species or its habitat– for it understands that is tantamount to destroying a library before we read the books. To lose our non-human elders is to lose their knowledge of survival. It is also, as the Chehalis words indicate, to lose an essential moral competence.
You are always welcome to link to this post. Note, however, it is copyright 2008, by Madronna Holden. Feel free to contact me if you wish to use it. Thanks.
Filed under: Animals, Contrasting worldviews, Environmental ethics, Environmental psychology, Folklore and Oral Tradition, Forest and farm, Indigenous, Our Earth and Ourselves, environmental philosophy | Tagged: Animals, environmental philosophy, Environmental psychology, Folklore and Oral Tradition
I believe this passage holds the very key to what is missing from society today. “Man’s heart away from nature becomes hard”. ~Standing Bear~ This quote describes what has happened to our society. We have forgotten how important our forests are and how important it is not to let animals go extinct. We can obtain a variety of knowledge from nature if we just step back from our busy lives and listen to what it is telling us. We need to be in a partnership with nature rather than being in opposition with it.
Great Post!
Thank you
Thanks for a heartfelt comment with insight in it as well, Lindsay. The post here, “The Mice in the Sink and Us” concurs with your point.
My first thought after I read this si that will the human elders ever have the history and wisdom that our non-human elders do? It does not seem so to me. It seems like the more ability that you have to reason, the more ability you have to harm. As always, we should listen more to our elders-all types and less to the greed driven human need to conquer the unknown.
We have a village of sparrows who’ve taken up residence in the deep, tall hedges by our driveway. They chatter constantly, until one of us walks to the garage. Then, dead silence. I wonder what they’ve been saying and why they stay so quiet until we cross an invisible line that tells them it is safe. I’ve spoken to the earthworms as I gently cover them with soil while weeding the garden. I think it takes a quieting of spirit to hear, but we’re not so distanced that we can’t reclaim the ability.
Lovely response, Kate. Thanks for sharing it. I heard the opposite from the owners of Wolf Haven (in Washington State). They said that after visitors came through, the wolves would howl back and forth as if trading gossip on them.
Hi Kelly, I agree with you that our intellect gives us the power to harm. I also think (if we look at this in the most hopeful fashion) we might feel that it gives us the responsibility to take care in our actions as we carefully evaluate their consequences.
I really like your metaphor of losing the library before we’ve read the books. I would even take that idea one step further and say that it is also like losing the church before we’ve heard the sermon. For many people, interaction with our non-human ancestors not only gives us wisdom, it provides a sense of peace and understanding about our relationship to God. That’s why the loss of these areas is so devastating to some. I know for the millions of animal lovers out there, the thought of innocent animals suffering for our sins is overwhelming. If we are to take advantage of the lessons of the natural world, we must adapt our spiritual framework to express the ‘moral competence’ reflected in our natural heritage. Hopefully, we will realize the importance of our non-human elders before it’s too late.
Thanks for the extension of this idea, Rick. I like your analogy as well.
It is true that humans are new to the game of life, speaking in form of time on this Earth. We learn from our parents usually, they are the wisdom we usually are taught. Why does it stop there? It should go far beyond and with proper documentation. I am sure there are stories linked to many cultures that respect nature and animals equally that are positive. If an animal goes extinct, it affects many more in the line up also. Missing pieces to the puzzle will eventually lead to our own demise. It is about time to be more considerate and holistic.
Great idea for the future here, Lorena–by looking at those who preceded us in earthly life.
The relationship of humans to other species on this planet is like that of a school bully. Through our technology and tools we are capable of imposing our ways on all other life (including some of our own kind) without anything checking our actions. Just because we can do something does not mean that we should. We people, as a whole race, are slowly realizing this and adjusting accordingly. I think we are now at a time of paradigm shift and the last harbors of the old thinking are slowly starting to be chipped away, but it is slow because they run deep within our systems of government and society in general.
I think your analogy about humans being like the “school bully” among other natural creatures is an apt one, Michael. Isn’t that what we learned as young children-the difference between what we SHOULD do and what we could do? I think (and hope) these old attitudes get chipped away asap.
I found this post interesting, however, I don’t entirely agree that humans are at the top of the “natural hierarchy.” I see nature (both human and non-human) as more of a mutually dependent relationship rather than a hierarchy. Without our non-human counter parts we would die, without the respect and care of humans environments can be destroyed. I think this balance is a very important factor in sustainability and I do agree that we have a lot to learn from nature.
Hi Karen. Thanks for the comment. You have summed up the major point of this essay! And if there is any “hierarchy” based on age, for instance, humans would be somewhere near the bottom, not the top, according to this view.
Each day as I ride my bike to school it is mortifying to see the surplus amounts of beer bottles, fast food garbage, and other various types of trash strewn everywhere due to the latest party that had taken place the night before. What is so unreal for me is how people can be so insensitive to a part of our world that is absolutely essential to the very idea of life. Humans have put themselves at the top of the food chain because has been a developed sense of superiority that has made humans believe they are invincible. Consequently, if humans don’t face reality and pay attention to their actions then it would not be such a surprise to see our world literally give up on life. In many cultures the teaching of respect toward one’s elders is commonality and the outcome in doing so produces positive benefits; in the case of the natural world one should expect the same. As long as we respect, care, and pay heed to our own actions, then the sustainability of our earth could be far more lasting. Living in the moment is most certainly fun in certain cases, but it is important to remember that we still need to think of how our actions might be affecting the earth and ourselves. In the case of the copious amounts of trash produced by various parties, those people involved need to become aware of the detrimental damage they are inflicting upon the earth. By no means am I saying not to party, but it should be remembered that the trash we produce and scatter is disrespectful to our greater natural world that willingly gives so much to us.
Just as the trash by the side of the road offends you– in its statement of the carelessness of those who throw it there, Erin, I think there are some other things to consider here. Not only the thoughtlessness of those who litter, but the way we somehow associate having a good time with not having to care about our effects on the world. And in one way, I’m not so such it wouldn’t be better to keep all our own trash where we constantly see it rather than having it carted off to somewhere else. Some of the most dangerous trash in our world is the least visible– as in chemical wastes.
Thanks for your comment!
Market research “indicates that we buy more if we are off balance.” Well, that explains a few of my more aberrant purchases, but makes me wonder what we might do if we were in balance. I’ll probably misspell this, but there was a wonderful film some years back called ‘Koyaanisqatsi – Life Out of Balance’ that showed our crazy urban lives, compared and contrasted with not-so-crazy lives and places in the natural world. No dialogue; in fact, I just learned that the entire movie is on YouTube.
I’d like to achieve some balance. It may require some changes.
Thanks for your comment, Patrick. This film is actually one of three–there is a series of them. Warning: after watching this you may find yourself repulsed by walking cement streets.
And did you mean to post this comment somewhere else? It doesn’t seem to have anything to do with this particular post.
This is the second essay with the quote from Henry Cultee, “The eyes of the world are looking at you”, so I think I have to say something about it that I thought the first time I read it in the other essay. I think he is right. Many people say that when they are out “in the woods” they often feel like they have someone looking over their shoulders, and this can be sort of a frightening feeling. The quote above is another way of saying that feeling. Many people, especially those that are not familiar with nature, say the feeling can be eerie and make them feel uncomfortable. Maybe if these people had more of a connection to the natural world, and realized that the eyes of the world are always looking at you, they would just feel connected and at ease. Realizing that everything on earth has a soul and is alive, and should be respected, can take away that eeriness because when you know that those eyes aren’t looking at you in order to frighten or scorn you, but are looking in mutual admiration and respect, your souls can connect and be at ease with eachother.
Thoughtful analogy with our own experience, Matt. This was certainly an important saying to Henry Cultee. I very much like your interpretation here; certainly it is time to act in such a way that the multiple eyes of natural life DO see us with mutual respect. It is a good observation that if we feel that those eyes look at us in a way that is frightening it may well be the result of our own alienation from the natural world- and in particular, the ways in which our actions make us misfits within that world.
I liked the students’ perspective about how much longer plants and animals have been around. Humans are infants when compared to some plants and animals. We should be showing them respect the same way we show our grandparents respect however, we don’t because we feel that we are the dominant species but plants and animals are showing us how vulnerable we are. Deforestation has contributed to global warming which could lead to significant problems for us. If we would show old growth forests more respect for their beauty and history instead of trying to cut them all down we would have much more scenic forests. We are at the mercy of mother nature and all of the plants animals, whether we want to accept it or not is either going to lead to our demise or allow us to prosper.
Very thoughtful comment, Mitch. I think it is a given that global warming will lead to significant problems for us if we don’t address it and quickly. I like the way you stress not only the importance of respect but that of joy– in the beauty of such “elder” trees and their ecosystems.
I always thought survival of the fittest was a strange concept. It reminds me of a cutthroat kind of mentality, something I never particularly cared for. Survival of the fittest kind of brought to mind a foot race, with everyone trying to trip each other so that then they can be the first and only to cross the finish line. Unfortunately, without others, our joy diminishes it seems. It makes me thing that we should all be working together, encouraging each other to finish that particular race so that then we can gain joy from it and go on to the next.
Hi Jennifer, thanks for your comment– it also applies well to the essay here on “Misusing Darwin”. There are so many ways in which we are all in the same race– if we take time to realize it!
Wonderful post, Dr. Holden.
When we are young we are encouraged to ’step outside of our own shoes’ so that we can see the other person’s point of view. In essence, this mantra is important because it gets us out of our own head and our own selfish perspective, and enables us to understand where others are coming from and consider ideas other than our own. I am reminded of a passage in Suzuki and Knudtson’s, “Wisdom of the Elders,” which talks about the ‘med mesign’ or ‘different eyes’ of various species. Each specie is equipped with its own individual methods and sensory strategies for navigating life, and various species can be simply viewed as different types of consciousness. No perspective is superior than another, just different. If we can step in other species’ shoes, so to say, an empathy and respect for our non-human elders will be given.
How beautiful and necessary it is then to apply this way of thinking to our place in the history of the natural world. We should be humbled by our novel appearance on the Earth and respect the longevity with which non-human animals have thrived here. We have much to learn from them, and are only beginning to discover what valuable lessons and medicine different species have to offer. It is tragic that we will be witnessing the largest mass extinction of species ever recorded during this century. Like you say, it’s like burning down a library before the books have been read. Unfortunately, it will be too late to recover the immense store of knowledge that will be lost in the form of entire ecosystems.
Perceptive response, Natalie. I like your emphasis on perspective and what it can teach us! We only make ourselves smaller by limiting our perspectives to those of our own species.