How do we see life? How do we sense life? Instead of treating nature as a consequence of the social realm, we should view human beings as created in relationships that are both human and more-than-human. Human beings are connected to the more-than-human world in terms of being part of the same world in a deeper sense, but in modern societies there is a lack of understanding of these connections and their relevance for socialization and human development.
Our human situation or reality is that we are part of, and a product of, community. Being a human being, is to be a part of a community. But what is a community, really? Rural communities are populated by human and more-than-human life in complex ways. One classical way to distinguish a rural community from a non-rural community is by looking at the density of the population. If we say that rural communities are scarcely populated by human nature, what do we then exclude and marginalize? Who talks about density of more-than-human nature? Nobody. It does not count in our definition of rurality.
The late environmental philosopher Val Plumwood is very right: rural areas are in the frontline of our western culture’s relationship with nature and place. I think people living in rural areas experience the marginalization of nature in a more acute way than people living in non-rural areas. How is it possible to unthink the density of nature in a rural setting?
Ingen kommentarer:
Legg inn en kommentar