Yesterday I started reading Magical Child by Joseph Chilton Pearce. Or at least trying to read it - I'm finding it a little bit dated and quite anthropocentric, but there are also some really useful and interesting ideas to be found in his work.
One concept that fascinates me is that of the brain as a hologram, that even just one cell of the brain contains the information contained in the organ in its entirety (albeit with lower clarity). Further, Pearce proposes that each human brain is a fragment of the Earth hologram - "the human brain may be a kind of microminiature replica of the living planet itself, just rather fuzzy at the edges, needing clarification (6)." As we mature, starting out in the safe environment of our mother's womb, moving on to rely on our mother (or other caregivers) as the solid base from which we grow and branch out, and eventually learning more about the world at large, we require extensive interaction with our surroundings in order to figure out where we fit in. "Confine a newly born brain and prevent interaction with the earth, and no clarification can take place," says Pearce. "To the extent that the newborn is allowed interaction with the earth, to that extent the brain clarifies its own portion of the picture (6-7)."
As someone who wants to understand how we can raise our children to be responsible, creative citizens of the Earth, I found myself wondering what the implications are of viewing ourselves as a holographic fragment of the planet, and indeed the Universe. I've read research that suggests that one common commonality among the childhoods of many different social justice activists is that they were taught to love and enjoy their natural surroundings by important adults in their lives. This is not only true of those who grew to become environmentalists; the youths of animal protection activists and those who work for human rights also follow this pattern. I've always wondered, why would this be? What does loving trees as a child have to do with fighting for Chinese sweatshop workers as an adult?
Pearce's matrix may hold the answer. Perhaps interaction with the natural world allows us to understand what it means to be human in a meaningful, big-picture way, so that we can clarify our own roles in the system. Some find their niches fighting to ensure that enough natural world is left for later generations of children to experience, and others perform covert rescue operations to free battery-cage chickens or work for the Peace Corps. Whatever our niche, we need the firm foundation that we gain from an intimate understanding of our Earth from which we can grow and develop a greater vision.
Sunday, June 14, 2009
Saturday, June 13, 2009
Book Review - More: Population, Nature, and What Women Want
As a parent educator, I find the topic of [over]population a bit touchy. Though some people choose to build their families through adoption, most (including me) do so by procreating. The topic of how many people is enough, or too many, is not likely to find a very objective ear among the people I most often talk to. I also think that the urge to have biological children is strong and compelling, and difficult to deny.
On the other hand, I have often found it curious that the largest families I know also often make the smallest collective impact on our planet. They raise much if not most of their own food, they tend to consume fewer resources out of choice and necessity, they travel less...they just seem to live more simply and sustainably.
It seems obvious that the more people who live on this planet, the more pressure we will put on the system in many, many ways. However, it is not just a question of how many people, but also how they live, that impacts this equation. The resources required to support one average American person could easily support over three dozen people in some of the poorer countries in Africa. As the 2 billion plus people in India and China begin to have access to luxuries that we in the US have come to consider necessities...well, I don't know what will happen, but it's not going to be part of the solution when with respect to the problem of global scarcity. Population and consumption are intimately and inextricably linked.
Most of the books I've read on the topic of population take a gloom-and-doom position - that the current trends in population that could top out at nine or ten billion (or, according to some sources, more) in the next few decades, will lead to global famine and war. That may be true, but since people are not likely to stop having sex, and are not likely to stop having babies, what can we do?
More: Population, Nature, and What Women Want by Robert Engelman is a refreshingly hopeful examination of the issue of population that is written for the general reader. According to Engelman, if given choices about when and how often to bear children, women will choose to have smaller families, particularly during times of scarcity. He argues that human numbers were held fairly constant for most of our history through a combination of folk methods of birth control and (unfortunately) high death rates. However, once choices about family size became political and/or religious, combined with the ability of science to help people live longer, our numbers surged and we haven't looked back.
In order to stem the tide of population growth, Engelman proposes that we simply need to put choices about childbearing into the hands of those most equipped to make them - families, specifically women - through reproductive health counseling, widespread and affordable access to reliable birth control, and availability of abortion when necessary. Will this stop the runaway growth of the human species in time to avoid disaster? Maybe; maybe not. But, current strategies are clearly not doing the trick, and as as the author states in his cleverly-titled chapter "Zen and the Art of Population Maintenance", "the safe and healthy reproductive habits [reproductive health workers] promote do create conditions out of which population stability tends to arise (179)."
As an interesting aside, Engelman suggests that the current prohibition against co-sleeping with infants came from a time when birth control and abortion were unavailable and infantacide was the only real option for women looking to control their family sizes. These women began to "accidentally" overlay their babies during sleep, leading the Church to forbid co-sleeping, an attitude that continues today in many industrialized cultures. Hmmmmm....
On the other hand, I have often found it curious that the largest families I know also often make the smallest collective impact on our planet. They raise much if not most of their own food, they tend to consume fewer resources out of choice and necessity, they travel less...they just seem to live more simply and sustainably.
It seems obvious that the more people who live on this planet, the more pressure we will put on the system in many, many ways. However, it is not just a question of how many people, but also how they live, that impacts this equation. The resources required to support one average American person could easily support over three dozen people in some of the poorer countries in Africa. As the 2 billion plus people in India and China begin to have access to luxuries that we in the US have come to consider necessities...well, I don't know what will happen, but it's not going to be part of the solution when with respect to the problem of global scarcity. Population and consumption are intimately and inextricably linked.
Most of the books I've read on the topic of population take a gloom-and-doom position - that the current trends in population that could top out at nine or ten billion (or, according to some sources, more) in the next few decades, will lead to global famine and war. That may be true, but since people are not likely to stop having sex, and are not likely to stop having babies, what can we do?
More: Population, Nature, and What Women Want by Robert Engelman is a refreshingly hopeful examination of the issue of population that is written for the general reader. According to Engelman, if given choices about when and how often to bear children, women will choose to have smaller families, particularly during times of scarcity. He argues that human numbers were held fairly constant for most of our history through a combination of folk methods of birth control and (unfortunately) high death rates. However, once choices about family size became political and/or religious, combined with the ability of science to help people live longer, our numbers surged and we haven't looked back.
In order to stem the tide of population growth, Engelman proposes that we simply need to put choices about childbearing into the hands of those most equipped to make them - families, specifically women - through reproductive health counseling, widespread and affordable access to reliable birth control, and availability of abortion when necessary. Will this stop the runaway growth of the human species in time to avoid disaster? Maybe; maybe not. But, current strategies are clearly not doing the trick, and as as the author states in his cleverly-titled chapter "Zen and the Art of Population Maintenance", "the safe and healthy reproductive habits [reproductive health workers] promote do create conditions out of which population stability tends to arise (179)."
As an interesting aside, Engelman suggests that the current prohibition against co-sleeping with infants came from a time when birth control and abortion were unavailable and infantacide was the only real option for women looking to control their family sizes. These women began to "accidentally" overlay their babies during sleep, leading the Church to forbid co-sleeping, an attitude that continues today in many industrialized cultures. Hmmmmm....
Friday, June 12, 2009
Our Last Walkabout :(
Today was our last Preschooler Walkabout at Schiff Nature Preserve for the summer. We will miss Miss Lydia and all our friends there, especially Peter, Toby and Sequoia, and of course Thad and Carter. Today we got to meet Toby's baby brother - so cute!
I'm feeling a little melancholy because it seems that all our activities are ending for the summer, and next year Bess will be in school and everything will be different. As tiring as it can be to spend all day, every day with her (more or less, though I must give props to those who break up the monotony for me!), I will miss her!
Anyway, here are some photos of our "campout", complete with campfire and roasted marshmallows!
I'm feeling a little melancholy because it seems that all our activities are ending for the summer, and next year Bess will be in school and everything will be different. As tiring as it can be to spend all day, every day with her (more or less, though I must give props to those who break up the monotony for me!), I will miss her!
Anyway, here are some photos of our "campout", complete with campfire and roasted marshmallows!
Wednesday, June 10, 2009
Youth at Its Finest
Check out this article about a fifteen-year-old young man, Javier Fernández-Han, who invented an innovative algae energy system called VERSATILE.
The best part of the story is this quote from the inventor:
I couldn't have said it better myself!
The best part of the story is this quote from the inventor:
An invention that is narrowly focused on solving a single problem often inadvertently creates more problems because nature is highly complex and interconnected. - Javier Fernandez-Han
I couldn't have said it better myself!
Tuesday, June 9, 2009
Guerilla Gardening
So, my favorite part of our trip to Vancouver was the last morning. We went to have breakfast with Barb and her family at their tiny city apartment. Barb is a board member at the Marpole Oakridge Family Place, and was the one who originally invited me to speak. After breakfast she took us outside to see her garden.
Behind her building is a tract of land belonging to Canadian National Railway, but the tracks are long abandoned. So members of the surrounding community have taken over the land and made it an urban oasis, full of strawberries, small trees, vegetables, and flowers. One man loves gardening so much that he took a plot of land and made it into a meditation garden, complete with waterfall and pond, for all the neighbors to enjoy. What a beautiful spot in a beautiful, friendly city! I can't wait to go back.
Behind her building is a tract of land belonging to Canadian National Railway, but the tracks are long abandoned. So members of the surrounding community have taken over the land and made it an urban oasis, full of strawberries, small trees, vegetables, and flowers. One man loves gardening so much that he took a plot of land and made it into a meditation garden, complete with waterfall and pond, for all the neighbors to enjoy. What a beautiful spot in a beautiful, friendly city! I can't wait to go back.
Saturday, June 6, 2009
More Things to Love About Vancouver
...electric buses
...recycled art
...diverse population
...The Crystal Ark
...helpful locals
...the fact that the logo for the 2010 Winter Olympics features an Inukshuk
...Canadian babywearers
...CBC
...Westcoast Mobile Lending Service
...recycled art
...diverse population
...The Crystal Ark
...helpful locals
...the fact that the logo for the 2010 Winter Olympics features an Inukshuk
...Canadian babywearers
...CBC
...Westcoast Mobile Lending Service
Friday, June 5, 2009
We're in Vancouver!
Well, we've been here for about eighteen hours so far, but most of what we've seen has been from a plane, cab or the hotel window - though we did walk the neighborhood for a few hours this morning while Harry napped (after waking up at 3 am, which is his usual 6 am East Coast wake-up time). But so far, here are the things I love about Vancouver:
*the mountains
*hybrid taxis
*playgrounds everywhere
*organic fruit at a corner stand
*wind-powered street lights
*you can't walk five feet without finding a sushi bar
*there is a show called 100 Mile Challenge on the Food Network (Vancouver is, after all, the place where Alisa Smith and J.B. MacKibbon did their 100 Mile Diet experiment!)
Now we're off to do more exploring, and then tomorrow is my Humane Parenting 101 talk at the Marpole Oakridge Family Place - I'm so excited!
*the mountains
*hybrid taxis
*playgrounds everywhere
*organic fruit at a corner stand
*wind-powered street lights
*you can't walk five feet without finding a sushi bar
*there is a show called 100 Mile Challenge on the Food Network (Vancouver is, after all, the place where Alisa Smith and J.B. MacKibbon did their 100 Mile Diet experiment!)
Now we're off to do more exploring, and then tomorrow is my Humane Parenting 101 talk at the Marpole Oakridge Family Place - I'm so excited!
Wednesday, June 3, 2009
Just a Quote for Today
I'm tying up loose ends for my speaking engagement in Vancouver, so just a quote for today:
The environment begins in the womb of a woman and ripples out all over the world. - Wanga Grace Mumba
The environment begins in the womb of a woman and ripples out all over the world. - Wanga Grace Mumba
Tuesday, June 2, 2009
Some of My Favorite Books
I am packing up for my trip to Vancouver to give my Humane Parenting 101 workshop sponsored by the Marpole Oakridge Family Place. I decided to bring some of my favorite humane parenting books for participants to leaf through during breaks. The ones I decided to bring include:
Trails, Tails & Tidepools in Pails by Nursery Nature Walks - This is an incredible book of nature-based activities for young kids, and what I most love about it is how respectful all the activities are. If you pick up a rock, put it back; you can look at bugs, but don't touch them. This is, hands down, my favorite activity book.
The Legacy of Luna: The Story of a Tree, A Woman, and the Struggle to Save the Redwoods by Julia Butterfly Hill - I like this one because it's a compelling story and she is such an inspirational person, but also because I think we all need to be reminded sometimes of the Power of One.
Free the Children: A Young Man Fights Against Child Labor and Proves that Children Can Change the World by Craig Kielburger - Another story about the Power of One, and in this case of a young person. Plus, he's Canadian, so I thought it particularly apropos. (In fact, many young activists are Canadian, come to think of it - they must be doing something right north of the border!)
Consuming Kids: The Hostile Takeover of Childhood by Susan Linn - An important examination of the effect our consumer culture has on children, I think this is a must read for parents who want to educate themselves about the ways in which corporations are looking to subvert us and reach our children.
Roots, Shoots, Buckets & Boots: Activities to Do in the Garden by Sharon Lovejoy - Okay, I'm on a huge gardening kick these days, but this is another really great resource for respectful outdoor activities that can be done with children.
Material World: A Global Family Portrait by Peter Menzel - This book is, quite possibly, the most powerful thing I've ever read. A picture is worth, in this case, a million words.
Earth in Mind: On Education, Environment, and the Human Prospect by David W. Orr - I love this book because it takes some really complicated subject matter and makes it understandable, while clearly synthesizing a wide range of ideas into one coherent work.
Nonviolent Communication: A Language of Life by Marshall B. Rosenberg, Ph.D. - I think NVC is one of the key ways that we can become better people, better parents, and better activists. Anyone who wants to change the world needs to know how to communicate clearly, compassionately, and without judgement, and this book is a great start.
Stuff: The Secret Lives of Everyday Things by John C. Ryan and Alan Thein Durning - There is a lot packed into this tiny book. A quick read, this book helps get you thinking about the "backstory" of everything in your life from an environmental, cultural, human rights, and animal welfare perspective.
Beyond Ecophobia: Reclaiming the Heart in Nature Education by David Sobel - This is one of the most important books written about environmental education, in my humble opinion. Another really quick read, it is chock full of ideas about how we can effectively inspire reverence for nature in our children.
Our Ecological Footprint: Reducing Human Impact on the Earth by Mathis Wackernagel and William Rees - I talk a lot about the concept of EF in my presentations, and I think it is a really useful and powerful metaphor that helps us to consider how we impact the planet and all her inhabitants. I would be remiss if I didn't include this one on my list.
Above All, Be Kind: Raising a Humane Child in Challenging Times by Zoe Weil - Well, it's simply THE book about Humane Parenting, and should be a part of every parent's personal collection to be referred to frequently and loaned out often.
Trails, Tails & Tidepools in Pails by Nursery Nature Walks - This is an incredible book of nature-based activities for young kids, and what I most love about it is how respectful all the activities are. If you pick up a rock, put it back; you can look at bugs, but don't touch them. This is, hands down, my favorite activity book.
The Legacy of Luna: The Story of a Tree, A Woman, and the Struggle to Save the Redwoods by Julia Butterfly Hill - I like this one because it's a compelling story and she is such an inspirational person, but also because I think we all need to be reminded sometimes of the Power of One.
Free the Children: A Young Man Fights Against Child Labor and Proves that Children Can Change the World by Craig Kielburger - Another story about the Power of One, and in this case of a young person. Plus, he's Canadian, so I thought it particularly apropos. (In fact, many young activists are Canadian, come to think of it - they must be doing something right north of the border!)
Consuming Kids: The Hostile Takeover of Childhood by Susan Linn - An important examination of the effect our consumer culture has on children, I think this is a must read for parents who want to educate themselves about the ways in which corporations are looking to subvert us and reach our children.
Roots, Shoots, Buckets & Boots: Activities to Do in the Garden by Sharon Lovejoy - Okay, I'm on a huge gardening kick these days, but this is another really great resource for respectful outdoor activities that can be done with children.
Material World: A Global Family Portrait by Peter Menzel - This book is, quite possibly, the most powerful thing I've ever read. A picture is worth, in this case, a million words.
Earth in Mind: On Education, Environment, and the Human Prospect by David W. Orr - I love this book because it takes some really complicated subject matter and makes it understandable, while clearly synthesizing a wide range of ideas into one coherent work.
Nonviolent Communication: A Language of Life by Marshall B. Rosenberg, Ph.D. - I think NVC is one of the key ways that we can become better people, better parents, and better activists. Anyone who wants to change the world needs to know how to communicate clearly, compassionately, and without judgement, and this book is a great start.
Stuff: The Secret Lives of Everyday Things by John C. Ryan and Alan Thein Durning - There is a lot packed into this tiny book. A quick read, this book helps get you thinking about the "backstory" of everything in your life from an environmental, cultural, human rights, and animal welfare perspective.
Beyond Ecophobia: Reclaiming the Heart in Nature Education by David Sobel - This is one of the most important books written about environmental education, in my humble opinion. Another really quick read, it is chock full of ideas about how we can effectively inspire reverence for nature in our children.
Our Ecological Footprint: Reducing Human Impact on the Earth by Mathis Wackernagel and William Rees - I talk a lot about the concept of EF in my presentations, and I think it is a really useful and powerful metaphor that helps us to consider how we impact the planet and all her inhabitants. I would be remiss if I didn't include this one on my list.
Above All, Be Kind: Raising a Humane Child in Challenging Times by Zoe Weil - Well, it's simply THE book about Humane Parenting, and should be a part of every parent's personal collection to be referred to frequently and loaned out often.
Monday, June 1, 2009
Great New Kids' Books!
I've been absent from the bloggosphere for a few days, our family was in Connecticut to celebrate with my sister. She graduated from Southern Connecticut State University with her M.S. in biology, and got a job with the Nature Conservancy monitoring plover nesting sites. Yay for her!
Anyway, I'm working on getting some photos of our trip together, but for today I wanted to share a new book series I found while browsing in a bookstore up there. Green Start is a series of board books for little ones that are printed with soy ink on 98% post-consumer recycled materials. We got In the Garden since we're pretty garden-centric these days, but other titles include One Tree, The Five Senses, and Baby Animals. The illustrations are adorable and include kids of all colors. There is even a Parent Page at the end with organic gardening tips, directions on how to grow tomato plants, and recipes for a fresh fruit smoothie and applesauce. I highly recommend these books - suggest them to your local librarian as a great addition to their collection.
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