man & nature # 206 ~ stand up and be counted
Thursday, August 13, 2009 at 11:54AM 
Median topiary • click to embiggenThere are those who, like Mary Dennis, might wondering how I live my life. Do I walk the walk that I often write about here on The Landscapist. Driven by that curiosity, Mary asked (it's a fair question):
What are you actually doing about the things you care about other than blogging about them? ... I'm interested in hearing what concrete things you have changed in your life to be more in line with your deeply felt system of beliefs.
The quick and easy answer to that question is, to borrow a line from Mary, I live a life with two eyes open. By that I simply mean that I try to live with my eyes, my mind, and my emotions attuned to the world (both around me and at large) with the knowledge that whatever I do, it matters or, in other words, with the knowledge that actions, both large and small, have consequences.
FYI, this way of living does not represent a change for me, a fact that I would attribute to my Catholic upbringing / education - an education that stressed (on the secular front) personal responsibility, compassion and understanding of/for others, charity, good works, and respect. Now that is not to say that I am a perfect practitioner of those principles but I am accutely aware of them in my everyday life.
All of that said, I realize that that statement might be a bit vague for some so I'll mention just a few specifics.
When it comes to the environment, we have always driven high mpg compact cars - cars that are well below our economic means. We live in a relatively modest "recycled" house, once again, well below our economic means. In both cases, we are trying to minimize our carbon footprint.
Again, re: the environment, our recreational pursuits are strictly human-powered - canoeing, biking, hiking, and the like. When I golf, I walk. I belong to a club that uses only reclaimed water, no pesticides, and has many protected sensitive-environment areas on the course that conform to the Audubon Cooperative Sanctuary Program for Golf Courses.
We try our best to be responsible consumers - buying what we need rather than what we want. Which is not to say that we live an austere life, but rather that we are definitely not part of the shop-till-you-drop or the live-to-shop crowd - not by a long shot. When we do buy, we try to buy quality stuff that will last as long as possible so that we will not have to replace things until they literally wear out after long use.
And when we do shop, we patronize small local businesses whenever possible and that includes our participation in a CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) which means we buy virtually all of our seasonal food directly from a local farmer. We also buy most of our beef, pork, and poultry from a local farm as well.
In our community, we participate in a number of charitable / volunteer events (the wife is on the Board of the Local Red Cross). Our daughter (my step-daughter) just returned from a week of volunteer work on a New Mexico Indian reservation. My step-son is about to embark on a 1 year stint to teach English in Korea in hopes of improving his chances for Peace Corp volunteer acceptance.
Which brings up another very important part of our life - we take very seriously the notion expressed by Crosby Stills Nash & Young - teach your children well. We want them to live lives with two eyes open. Is there anything more important for a parent than that - to pass on values and knowledge that will help them to lead responsible lives?
Mary also mentioned that she thinks "about these things all the time and I have discussions and debates in real time with friends, family and sometimes strangers on the street or in the grocery store line." To which I would say that it sounds like she lives with two eyes open because, while thinking about these things is important, attempting to raise awareness regarding these things is what really matters.
That is a big part of the reason that, here on The Landscapist, I not only write about photography but also about those things that matter to me that fall outside of the purview of things photographic - an attempt to raise awareness about things that need to be thought about, talked about, and dealt with.
Regarding those public-square things that affect us all - things that concern the body politic - one of the most important and responsible things an individual can do is to be an informed citizen and to take a stand regarding those issues - a stand informed by knowledge and fact.
Writing this blog requires a sustained and time-consuming effort on my part. It is, not to brag, no small/easy feat. It is my hope that what I have to say, whether one agrees with it or not, is of some real value to those who encounter it.
Mary, I hope that all of this helps to provide an answer to your question. I would not consider my life to be "heroic" in the sense that I do extraordinary things when walking the walk. But, on the hand, it seems that in our world, especially here in the US of A, just living with two eyes open is, in fact, somewhat extraordinary.
Reader Comments (3)
It's like Martin Sheen replied to his son Charlie Sheen in Wall Street when he bragged about his success:It's yourself you've got to be proud of...
Doing something is probably better than nothing, but I've stopped kidding myself.I have a low mpg car, drive very few miles a year, buy ecolocial food when it's available, try to avoid meat, live in a very small apartment with almost no need for electricity and little room to store stuff, hence little or no shopping is done. But the again, living in the richest part of the world my low (by Norwegian standards) carbon footprint is like that of an elephant compared to a mouse from a global perspective. Let's face it. Human civilization will kill itself, or at least the parts of it worth living for. But I'll keep my life simple, not to save the world, but to retire early with some savings so I can get off the train and live in the woods while I'm still in good health and the air is still fresh.
Nuffin from Nuffin leaves Nuffin.
If you don't try to enlighten your neighbors you will both stay in the dark.
Thank you Mark. I hope you know that my mini rant wasn't aimed at you personally. You always make me think and help me to open my two eyes even wider. I am doing what I can too, however small in the scheme of things and will continue on that path despite the sometimes overwhelming frustration with all the crap going on out there. As I deliver daughter number two (my vegetarian fashionista) to college tomorrow, I am hoping that I have taught her well....one small step in the right direction I guess.