Rothiemurchus woods, evening light
Just before sunset in the Rothiemurchus pine woods, in the background is a small loch filling a deep hollow, full of reeds. I loved the intense colours with the low sun.
This week’s quote basically says that caring for our planet is caring for ourselves – a message which is at the heart of the 2020VISION project (which I happen to be involved with).
“Deep ecology shares with Eastern spiritual traditions the belief that the sense of self can expand to identify with all humanity and other aspects of the world beyond the body. In doing so, we transcend conditions of separateness and isolation. Recognising the inherent unity of all existence, we experience subsequent feelings of belonging, oneness and peace.
There are myriad benefits to this transcendent sense of self, both for the individual and the environment. Norwegian philosopher Arne Naess, the founder of deep ecology, said “care flows naturally if the ‘self’ is widened and deepened so that the protection of free nature is felt as the protection of ourselves.”
As structures sustained by an influx of matter and energy that starts at the sun and is channelled, through plants, up food chains to us, any separation in time or space between us and the natural world is a projection of our mind, not a scientific observation.” (emphasis – mine)
– Matt Melton, writing in ‘Positive News‘ July 2011