Blog 9 - Ecological Illiteracy

In the postscript, Kohak mentions moments in his life that were profound ecological experiences. These experiences helped to shape his view on environmental ethics into what they are today. This made me consider my life and if there have been any momentous occasions that have made me feel sympathetic towards nature and change my over-consuming ways. I have had many wondrous encounters with the beauty of nature, but have never even thought about changing how I live. The main reason for this is because I didn’t know there was a different way too live.

Ecological literacy. My lack of this is the reason I have never considered my way of life as detrimental to nature or that nature was in peril at all. This is the reason that even my most breath taking encounter with nature was not enough to change my ways. This moment was when I was hiking up to the peak of Mt. Rogers (VA) in the rain and the mist, through a thick forest. After many hours of unpleasant weather, the rain stopped and I finally emerged from the thick undergrowth onto a rock ledge that dropped 200 feet. On top of that rock ledge I could see many miles in all directions. I watched the rain clouds start to dissipate and the sun finally broke through in rays that would make a younger child say “heaven’s light is shining through”. If I knew the situations that nature faced, I would have deeply contemplated how I could help change things, but instead I was ecologically illiterate at the time. I believe this is a major problem that needs to be addressed if society is to be changed into a culture that is sustainable.

It is sad to think that my first exposure to environmental ethics is when I am already in college. Kohak’s novel, The Green Halo, has really made me consider what is to become of this world. In one of my science classes I hear people in discussions say that it is better to experiment on guinea pigs than on apes, because they are “more developed” or that “they are just guinea pigs, who cares if they die in experiments”. These are sentiments I know I would have agreed with or stated myself before I read this book. Now I realize that is just ignorant talk from ecological illiterate people. It is the same presuppositions I held that there is a hierarchy in this world that should be blatantly apparent to everyone. I realize the flaw in this thinking now, because as Kohak put it, all life is “different but equal”.