"An abiding humility in the face of the Earth’s exuberant multiplicity, wildness, and weirdness is, I believe, a necessary quality of our kind and the best possible medicine for what ails us."
- David Abram
Humanity has an excess of hubris when what we desperately need is a good dose of humility.
The intelligent person bows before Nature, in all her glory. Exposure to Nature melts hubris into humility like nothing else.
You think you are so big? Wander into Nature without your technology and your electricity. Be there without clothes or fire. See what happens.
And yet, all other living things manage just fine.
So humans are the pinnacle of life in the Universe? Wrong. We aren't even the pinnacle of life on this planet. You might not even be the pinnacle of life in your own home.
Spiders, such as those found in every dwelling across the globe (except in Antarctica), have been around in a similar form for at least 380 million years.
The silk in a spiders web is 5 times stronger than a strand of steel the same thickness. Scientists have been unable to replicate the strength and elasticity of spider silk.
Some spiders can live longer than 40 years.
Indeed, spiders are vital to a healthy ecosystem, and provide many valuable services to the rest of Nature.
Can the same thing be said of humans?
I have to respect a spider but I do not have to like them. They probably feel the same way about us.
ReplyDeleteHouse spiders tend to keep out of our way. My broom allows them to stay. I do have a size limit. Really big ones are carefully taken outside.
DeleteRecently I re-watched a program done by Ken Burns on the Dust Bowl of the 1930's here in the USA. That era should have shown us that nature can not be tamed for our use (or misuse). After the horrors that occurred, when things got better, some farmers went back to their old ways thinking that it wouldn't happen again. We can't win, we will destroy ourselves if we don't wake up and humble ourselves before nature soon.
ReplyDeleteEventually we will be humbled by Mother Nature, if we don't smarten up first.
DeleteThis comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
ReplyDeleteOracle circle notes, I inadvertently deleted your comment, and apologize.
DeleteI liked your view that humility does not come without some discomfort first, and that most people only experience the discomfort and never allow themselves to progress to the humility.
I agree. In our fucked up system hubris is the valued thing. Humility is seen as weak. What a mistake.
Please do feel welcome to comment here, or on any of our posts, again.