When I was fairly young — probably about ten years old — I decided that I was on the side of the natural world. Actually I’m not sure it was a conscious decision, so much as an emotional alliance, but in any case I was strongly drawn to nature as a solitary child with a dysfunctional family. The natural world — both really wild and rural — was my playground and the birds, reptiles, insects, and other life forms were my playmates in a way. I was curious about them, how they lived and how their environment shaped them. I grew up and through a series of happy accidents (and some not so happy) I became a biologist. Eventually I escaped my parents and founded a small family of my own with the love of my life. Still I have this strong affinity with nature and I strongly believe that we humans will eventually lose the war we have waged on it. There will be casualties and much suffering on both sides to be sure, but we probably cannot stand up against the ultimate forces of nature, despite our many clever abilities and our hubris. This hubris is manifest in the belief of both the religious and the atheist that we can somehow know the ultimate answers. Three scientists and science writers for whom I have a large amount of respect, Stephen Jay Gould, Richard Feynman and Timothy Ferris, all agree that such knowledge is unlikely to be available to us in any meaningful way.
Science is a product of civilization, as art, literature, music, cooking, and other common human activities are. For the most part these are important aspects of a civilized society and I have no interest in destroying them, but I do think we need to examine where we are going in light of the recent political chaos, and the destination we seem to be approaching is not a good one, based on the successful candidate’s own statements. Still, had a different outcome occurred, we still would be left with the struggle. How that struggle ultimately turns out we can only guess, but I’m with Kate McKinnon when she sang Leonard Cohen's "Hallelujah." (See: www.cnn.com/...). I’m not religious, but the song still hit me like a ton of bricks. Never give in! Otherwise the crows and the ravens will get to feed on our bodies in our ruined cities, and civilization as we know it will truly end.
Civilization is a remarkable achievement and when (if it is even possible) civilization is merged with a sustainable economy and society, we might even have thousands of years ahead of us before it was finally snuffed out. The environment that we like might be saved, the poor might be fed, and bigotry might die in a not totally utopian, but basically humane, civil society. However, we may not be smart enough for that and instead we may be dealing with hundreds or even tens of years. The last election does sort of indicate that will be our fate, but we must soldier on or it is a certainty.
This evening I walked from our apartment to Puget Sound, a distance of a few blocks by foot. I sat down on a bench and started reading The Animal Dialogues by Craig Childs. I had read an earlier book of his, A Secret Knowledge of Water, and I knew that this would be a good read. I was not disappointed. I finished the introduction and the first chapter when, as I lifted my eyes from the page, a harbor seal broke the surface below me, glanced in my direction, and sunk under the waves, only to emerge again about 5 or so meters from the first location. I think that I am going to like reading by the Sound.
The book in my hand is part of the trappings of civilization, but it connects me to the real world in one way, while my view of the Sound connected me in a more real sense. The seal was there, not described on the printed page, but as Child’s notes, words are mostly inadequate to encapsulate nature. There is a mystery there that is deep and abiding and that we, try as we might, cannot fathom, but only sense the depth from the edge.
Can civilization and nature live together in a modern world where commerce, war, and authoritarianism seem to dominate? Could they ever do so, or is it written that one or the other will triumph, to the destruction of one of them? Since I doubt the total destruction of nature, although it might be severely damaged, it may very well be civilization that dies.
I have to decide what I will do in the meantime. It would be easy to throw the helve after the axe head and give up, but I can’t do that. Someone close to me is in an industry that is crowded with immigrants with work visas, another is gay. Students of mine included a Muslim, as well as atheists. And, as I have indicated, I am deeply involved with the natural world.
I am, however, not alone in this decision. So this is what we do: my wife and I contribute to the causes that we believe in — including the ACLU, Planned Parenthood and a number of others. My wife writes for Amnesty International and I’m heavily involved in local groups opposing the transport of Bakkan oil through the cities on the coast and trying to save the coastal wetlands, Other than that we are somewhat limited by age and health, but we will do what we can to make this country what we think it could be. We oppose all racism, sexism, misogyny, homophobia and environmental destruction. We believe that population would be on the way to control if women had more say in the matter, were more financially independent, and had access to birth control and accurate sex education, as well as a solid general education. Since the world has never tried such an approach it is difficult to predict the outcome, but it might lead to a more stable and possibly sustainable society.
The end of civilization as we know it? Perhaps, but it is possible that the new civilization might be better, or it could be, given the current political climate, a dystopian mess. It is our choice. Meanwhile I think that I’ll associate with the trees, seals, woodpeckers and loons. At least I have a tiny (if pitiful) understanding of them. People are too weird to understand!