Date: Tue, 23 Sep 1998 16:18:07
Asunto:
ECOLOGY 
Problem: Nature is seen primarily as a storehouse of resources
to be managed, harvested, and industrially processed for unmoderated
Human consumption. This materialistic philosophy is accelerating
destruction of planetary ecological systems.
Solution: A vision of wholeness in relationship to the Nature
is required which incorporates the spiritual dimension.
SPIRITUAL FOUNDATIONS FOR AN ECOLOGICALLY SUSTAINABLE SOCIETY
Robert A. White
Summary:
Rapidly progressing environmental alterations - global warming,
ozone depletion, soil degradation, forest depletion, and species
extinction - threaten the delicate ecological balance of the
ecosphere. As the twentieth century draws to a close, the threat
of irreversible degradation of planetary life systems by these
and other possible unanticipated dangers has come to replace nuclear
war as the primary concern of collective security.
The predominant response to these issues has focused on the concept
of sustainable development. For development to be sustainable,
social and economic decisions need to recognize the finite biological
and chemical limits of ecosystems and ecosphere as a whole.
However, continued economic growth is still considered necessary,
particularly if nonindustrial nations are to raise large segments
of their population out of poverty. Sustainable development thus
links environment and development issues. From the point of view of
"deep ecology", "ecofeminism" and "ecophilosophy" groups, present
sustainable development approach does not go far enough in
examining the cultural attitudes towards Nature.
The deep ecologists suggest, What is needed, is the development of
an "ecological consciousness" that other forms of life have intrinsic
value and we are not above the rest of Nature. Deep ecology draws on a
diversity of philosophical, cultural and spiritual traditions
as well as the science of ecology. It asserts that beyond our
narrowly materialistic scientific understanding of reality, the
spiritual and material aspects of reality fuse together. It asks
which society, which education, which form of religion is beneficial
for all life on the planet as a whole.
Ecofeminism believes that women are more naturally attuned to the
interrelatedness of life and the development of an ecological
sensibility requires a revaluation of women's experience and
greater involvement of women in the production of knowledge.
Ecophilosophy, in addition to be ecologically conscious, is holistic
and global and it is concerned with wisdom, quality, and health.
It sees human beings as spiritual agents in an evolving world
endowed with grace and meaning and thereby emphasizes participatory
commitment, compassion, and responsibility.
The call by deep ecologists and other social theorists for
decentralized small scale, community-based technologies and economies,
at first glance, seems to represent movement in the direction opposite
to the globalism. It is on a small scale that individual
responsibility can be upheld within a participatory community democracy
and that technology can be harmonized and made more environmentally
appropriate.
Exist a three-fold relationship between humanity and Nature involving
principles of unity, detachment and humility. There is a cohesiveness
within life's ever-increasing differentiation - an underlying spirit
that animates all of existence. The prevailing view of Nature as
environment made up of material components of air, water, soil, and
organisms is therefore inadequate. The very word ENVIRONMENT implies
that which is external and peripheral to what is assumed to be the
central object of concern, human beings. As we begin to understand
the ecological principle that everything is connected to everything
else in the physical world, we are learning the truth of the essential
spiritual law of unity that pervades and animates all of creation.
The paradox between our oneness with the rest of existence and our
detachment from it can be seen on deeper reflection as representing
the multidimensionality of our humanness. An attitude of awe and
gratitude towards earth and Nature is part of attaining spiritual
humility. Humility means literally of the ground or humus.
Developing new attitudes of respect for and cooperation with Nature
requires, first of all, a vision of wholeness in our relationship
to Nature. This requires a perspective of human evolution and human
purpose that unifies material and spiritual realities.
Appreciating that creation is sacred and whole and understanding
the role of human beings to be conscious, compassionate, and creative
participants in the evolution of life are the fundamental conceptual
requirements for achieving an ecologically sustainable society.
Developing this society, however, requires not only a transformation
in our individual attitudes and values but also a complete and
reformation of our social structures.
Planetary unity is a necessary and inevitable fruition of humanity's
collective spiritual and material development. It calls for a
reflection in the world of humanity of the fundamental oneness in
the whole of creation and requires a new understanding of the
relationship of parts to each other and to the whole.
Restoration of sense of wholeness on a conscious level is a process
related to the root meaning of RELIGION - to reconnect or bind back.
Systems of thought and governance must give way to new patterns
and new institutions necessary to manage cooperatively an
increasingly interdependent world.
The call by deep ecologists and other social theorists for
Decentralized, small-scale, community-based technologies and economies,
at first glance, seem to represent movement in a direction
opposite to the globalism. It is on a small scale that individual
responsibility can be upheld within a participatory community
democracy and that technology can be humanized and made more
environmentally appropriate. A global society is one based on
individual, family, and local self-reliance, integrated with
sophisticated interdependence on the national and global levels.
The emergence of a new world order require appropriate institutions
for global coordination and for fostering individual and community
empowerment.
Robert A. White holds a master's degree in environmental studies
from York University. He is currently involved in research
and writing on environmental issues and working with community-based
sustainable development organizations in Canada. This partial summary
was extracted by Farhang Sefidvash from an article with the same title
published in the Journal of Baha'i Studies, vol.7, no.2, 1995.
