Biophilia or Biophobia?

Let’s fall in love with nature… again

That destiny is a mystery to us, for we do not understand when the buffalo are all slaughtered, the wild horses are tamed, the secret corners of the forest heavy with the scent of many men, and the view of the ripe hills blotted by talking wires. Where is the thicket ? Gone. Where is the eagle ? Gone. The end of living and beginning of survival.

- Chief Seattle’s speech of 1854 as interpreted by screenwriter Ted Perry

As Chief Seattle cautioned in his address during the sale of native lands, supposed civilized society is in danger of forgetting how to live. Content with dominance over nature we “survive” in an artificial creation built on technology, economics and greed. Our honeymoon with the trees and the sky has ended and we have abandoned our love for the earth. Where we once bathed in fresh water, we now dump toxic waste. Where we found shelter amongst the trees in the hills, we now clear-cut. Where we hunted and grew food, we now genetically modify. It is hard to believe that we ever loved nature at all. However, if we are to live, not just survive, we must find this love again. To rekindle this passion we must abandon our fears in order to fall in love again.

Edward O. Wilson proposed a mechanism called biophilia by which all organisms’ are predisposed to love life and living systems. According to Wilson, this is an instinctual bond to “affiliate with other forms of life”. Our well-being as a species is hinged on our ability to be biophilic. David Suzuki states that, “access to the natural world has been proven to have physical and mental health benefits”. Nevertheless, it is possible to develop an unhealthy fear for that which we no longer understand. Wilson referred to a fear of natural environments as biophobia. The belief in human superiority over other sentient life has made it possible for biophobia to develop. A lack of respect for nature in conjunction with pervasive and destructive technologies has made biophobia the Zeitgeist of our times. People feel more at ease in a concrete parking lot than on a forest trail. As a result we have more parking lots and less forest. In order to stop this downward spiral we must relearn biophilia or perish.

Children are our best hope for rediscovering our love of nature. If we expose our children to untamed nature we can help them develop an affinity for it. If we take our kids to beaches, forests and mountains instead of shopping centers they will begin to cherish these places. This will prevent them, as adults, from destroying the land. A healthy reverence for nature will enable them to protect the earth and the sky. It is difficult to save something that you do not care about. However, it is nearly impossible to save something that you fear. If we love nature then saving it will come naturally. I am not content with mere survival. Are you?

References

Orr, David W. “Love it or lose it: the coming biophilia revolution.” Stephen R., Kellert and Edward O. Wilson. The Biophilia Hypothesis. Washington, DC: Island Press. 1993.

Suzuki, David. “Get outside – it’s good for you.” Good News Network International.<http://www.goodnewsnetwork.org/content/view/2490/32/>. 2007.