Land As Alive

A few classes ago we briefly commented on the connection humans feel with their natural environment (forests, etc.). Some of us agreed that humans used to feel more connected with their environment as they lived with it and from it more so than the average human does today, sometimes on a daily basis (specifically tribal cultures like Aboriginals, Native Americans, etc.). Along with living with the natural, physical world more, came a different perception of the land as it appeared more "alive" and at times had a mystical force about it to the people living with it. The closer people lived with the land, the more the land appeared to have a life of its own. Aldo Leopold claims that the largest obstacle to adopting a "land ethic" is the detachment many humans have with the land. The average human lacks a conscious understanding of the natural environment, and as Leopold puts it, "Your true modern is separated from the land by many middlemen and by innumerable physical gadgets." (Environmental Philosophy pg.114 Leopold, Aldo. The Land Ethic) Rather than work with the land ourselves, we have people (middlemen) to work it for us, and this is where the biggest problem in our society lays, the dollar. We have other people grow our food for us and build our things for us, and we can just let the dollar flow, so we have more time to sit around and play with our gadgets. I imagine Leopold is talking about other kinds of gadgets when he used the word gadget, like using machines instead of horses to deforest and other sorts to farm, etc. I agree with Leopold that widespread education to change our consciousness about the land is required if we as a species are going to continue to live with it in a sustainable manner. And, while awareness is spreading, it is not nearly doing so at the rate it needs to. What are we to include in the education of the our environment to have it catch on, in which people will genuinlly feel connected to it, and therefore care about it. Should we attribute to it some mystical life-force, even if this is an educational ploy to enforce a greater connection with it, if this would indeed create a connection. Humans may very well have to work with the land themselves to see it as something alive, but if so many don't work with it, this may be something to consider, as perceiving the land with a life of its own may generate more concern for it.