Honoring Our Future
By David Steffen
Parents regularly have days when images of their children come front and center at random moments; my daughter Caitie’s image regularly crosses my mind that way. Daughters are like that. Happily.
Our good fortune to be able to do a fair amount of travel as she was growing up meant that Caitie was able to see and experience things that leave a lasting impression. And my multiple employment changes—Chicago, Los Angeles, New York, etc.—added to not just my life experience, but hers as well. For example, when I took a job in New York in 1990, we bought a house in Connecticut and moved in that August. Having grown up in the midwest I was no stranger to cold weather, but given a choice, I always preferred some measure of the four seasons. In short, accept some months of cold each year compared to the seemingly endless heat and humidity of other places, places I traveled to with some regularity, i.e., Florida, Louisiana, Texas, Missouri, Washington, D.C. I knew that Connecticut would bring some cold winter weather (but not as cold as the midwest,) and it would have a warm spring and fall with a potentially hot summer. And things like hurricanes and tornadoes were for the south or midwest, not Connecticut. That’s about as far as my thought process went, back then.
I often quote the idea that, “Life is what happens when you’re busy making plans”. Exactly one year after moving to Connecticut, Hurricane Bob came through New England. So much for my astute knowledge of weather. “Bob” crossed New York’s Long Island on August 19, 1991 and over the next few days it traveled northeast through parts of Connecticut, Rhode Island, Massachusetts, Maine, on to Canada’s New Brunswick and Newfoundland before heading out to sea. We received 75-90 mph winds, witnessed long standing trees being uprooted, and plenty of rain. While I’m not certain how much Caitie remembers (she was only 3+ years old at the time), we experienced Hurricane Bob as a family. Nature shows off its power and benevolence in a variety of ways. In fact, Nature delivers much and we can presume she expects something between love and respect (and maybe fear) in return.
Speaking of the weather, I was able to confirm that global warming is real as we experienced three straight 90+ degree afternoons on the Mendonoma Coast. Granted, unlike my days living in middle America, the humidity on the Mendocino coast was barely noticeable. Those who’ve grown up in the midwest or the east-coast know what I mean. And clearly it was nothing like visiting Florida, Missouri, New Orleans or Texas in spring or summer when they all experience 90+ degree temperatures and 90+ per cent humidity for months on end. I read last week that in late June, the village of Lytton, British Columbia (population, 250) reached a new all-time high temperature; not just for the town of Lytton, or the province of B.C. but for all of Canada. Lytton gained that dubious honor on Tuesday, June 29, reaching 49.6 degrees Celsius (about 121 degrees Fahrenheit,) flying past the old Canadian record of 45 degrees-C (113 degrees F) set in Saskatchewan in 1937. Remember, British Columbia is 1500 miles north of the Bay Area. Whew.
Some of you may be familiar with the streaming channel FreeSpeechTV. They have a variety of good and interesting programs on politics, environment, current events, and are the go-to channel for many who like to watch “Democracy Now,” Stephanie Miller, Randi Rhodes and Thom Hartmann. Surprisingly, some of the programs I enjoy most are the short (and always topical) films which they screen between regular longer-form programs. It’s amazing how much sinks in after a mere 2 or 3 minutes. Many of them remind us that Mother Earth speaks to us and it seems she’s not pleased.
One of those short films features the voice and the words of Robin Wall Kimmerer who is the Distinguished Teaching Professor of Environmental and Forest Biology; and Director, Center for Native Peoples and the Environment, at the State University of New York. The film was based on an original article she wrote, published on Thanksgiving Day, 2015. The article (which is available online at Yes Magazine) was titled “The ‘Honorable Harvest’: Lessons From an Indigenous Tradition of Giving Thanks.” In part, Kimmerer wrote,
“We are showered every day with the gifts of the Earth: air to breathe, fresh water, the companionship of geese and maples—and food. Since we lack the gift of photosynthesis, we animals are destined by biology to be utterly dependent upon the lives of others, the inherently generous, more-than-human persons with whom we share the planet.” I felt a twinge of ‘photosynthesis envy’.
As the 3 1/2 minute film opens, we hear Kimmerer tell us “If I could choose just a single element of the traditional teachings that we’re called to pick up, it would be the teachings of the Honorable Harvest; which were taught us by the plants, who give us everything that we need . . . . One of the first steps of the Honorable Harvest is to understand that the lives that we are taking are the lives of generous beings, of sovereign beings. And in order to accept their gift we owe them at least our attention. To care for them we must know what they need, and at the very minimum we should know their name. And yet the average American can name over 100 corporate logos and [only] ten plants.”
With the vivid memory of Mitt Romney’s 2012 declaration that “corporations are people,” it’s clear that plants and water, in particular, and the earth’s gifts, in general, are of little importance to Romney and other corporate evangelists (who are also often environmental menaces). We can do better. We must do better. Striving to be honorable is not to be dismissed. Whether plants, the planet, or our next door neighbors, being honorable is a necessity. For all of us.
Images:
Left: "Seaside After Bob". Courtesy NWS Boston.
Above: "Girl". Frame from "The Honorable Harvest".
