Dyp-økologi

Jeg leser bl.a. boka «The Deep Ecology Movement» om dagen, og her var det en del sitater jeg gjerne vil ta vare på. For eksempel dette sitatet fra Gandhi på s. 146:

«The ocean is composed of drops of water; each drop is an entity and yet it is a part of the whole; ´the one and the many´. In this ocean of life, we are little drops. My doctrine means that I must identify myself with life, with everything that lives, that I must share the majesty of life in the presence of God. The sum-total of this life is God.»

Dråpen blir også ofte brukt i allegorier av Martin Lönnebo (se hans bok Van Goghs rom).

Litt senere (s. 150) står det mer om Arne Næss sitt begrep «selvrealisering». Hans definisjon av dette begrepet er et helt annet enn det vi forbinder med det i dagligtale. Dette er han nok blitt utfordret på, og sier:

«if I had to give up the term (self-realization!) fearing its inevitable misunderstanding, I would use the term ´symbiosis´.»

Dette er ganske spennende saker – og jeg har ikke sett hans svar på dette før!

Litt senere (i en artikkel av Rothenberg) er det en definisjon av livskvalitet. Det har jeg ikke lagt merke til, og jeg synes denne var utrolig god! Her er den (s. 164):

It has been said that the comparison between one´s ideals and the way one acts in practice is the truest measure of one´s quality of life.

Jeg tror dette er en svært god definisjon!!!

Artikkel til Rothenberg inneholder også en lettfattelig utgave av dypøkologiens plattform:

I. LIFE!
There is intrinsic value in all life.

II. NATURE!
Diversity, symbiosis, and thus complexity explain the life of nature itself.

III. HUMAN IN/AND NATURE!
Humanity is a part of nature, but our potential of power means that our responsibility towards the Earth is greater than that of any other species.

IV. NO FALSE DISTANCE!
We feel estranged from the Earth because we have imposed complication upon the complexity of nature.

V. OUTSIDE CHANGE!
On the outside, we should change the basic structures of our society and the policies which guide them.

VI. INSIDE CHANGE!
On the inside, we should seek quality of life rather than higher standard of living, self-realization rather than material wealth.

VII. SPREAD OF IDEAS!
New kinds of communication should be found that encourage greater identification with nature. Only then will we see our part in it again.

ACTION!
CONCLUSION: Those who accept the above points have an obligation to try to implement the necessary changes.