For most of human history, individual and community survival has demanded intimate and accurate knowledge of the local environment. Lives literally depended on knowing which plants were good to eat and which were poisonous. Human beings knew, because they had to know, that seeds and fruits follow flowers on a plant, that there are times to sow and times to reap. For almost everyone, the need to eat fostered respect for the ecological processes upon which continued human existence depends. Traditional cultures which survived for thousands of years were basically the expression or synthesis of this knowledge of how to live in a particular ecosystem. The skills needed to build a home, grow food and make clothing using local, renewable resources were integral to living in that society.
In my educational work, however, I am often astounded at the ignorance that exists in children, and even among educated adults, about the natural world and our dependence on it. We are rapidly moving away not only from the knowledge of which plants or animals might be useful and how to raise them, but also from the knowledge that the food we eat comes from plants and animals.
This "Wall of Ignorance" which increasingly separates individuals and communities from environmental realities is encouraged by, and paradoxically, also hidden by, the nearly seamless commercial facade of choices and pleasures presented to us. Thousands of times a day, the extravagant apparatus of commercialism programs us to consume a particular product in order to be happy, successful, smart or cool. Satisfaction comes from consumption. We need only choose Brand A or Brand B- soda, Internet connection, car, HMO or even president. It isn't necessary to know or do anything else. This ever-present, multicolor, information-filled facade keeps us so dazzled and dependent that many people are totally unaware of their own ignorance. They don't realize that they can do with less and do more for themselves, their families and within their communities. The option of not consuming or not buying isn't even considered.
The rapidly spreading "Wall of Ignorance" hides not only our essential connections to the natural world, but also hides the large-scale global organizations which build and maintain this wall. These entities control the flow of goods between the farm and our mouths, and of services between the doctor and our health, for example. They also control the flow of information to our minds with extravagant advertising, political and public-relations spending.
With so many resources spent on the facade, it's not surprising that people don't think about or question the connections. Knowledge ends with the brand name. Often, the most heavily advertised items are those which put the greatest burden on the well-being of individuals, cultures and the planet and take greatest advantage of government subsidies. Meat, fatty and sweet foods, aluminum cans, new cars, violent movies, alcoholic beverages, cigarettes and even health care are good examples.
But beyond the brand name, behind the commercial facade and the large corporations which create it, is the reality of enormous farms, animal factories and sweat shops, of degraded ecosystems and communities, as well as unsustainable energy use, waste production and population growth.
So get rid of the TV and slick magazines. Spend more time outside. Discover the satisfaction of growing and cooking food, staying home, making gifts and consuming less. These activities all begin to break down that "Wall of Ignorance" and help us to reestablish the direct connection to nature upon which we all depend.
This is Bill Duesing, Living on the Earth
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