Author Archives: lkl13

The Crisis of Complacency

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  I find the plethora of plastics in our surrounding environment ironic. We as humans crave significance, we want people to remember who we were and what we did. This is how we cope with fear and death. Yet, many people choose to disregard the current climate crisis and the buildup of waste that surrounds us. Throughout this course, I have been reflecting on the impact I hope to have on the world. This course has taught me that I play a vital role in the earth system, and my action project allowed me to explore what this role means. I believe that recognizing and accepting the important role we possess as humans in The Anthropocene is key to mitigating the potentially horrific impacts of climate change.

The work of my Action Project allowed me to feel a deeper connection to the earth. For our Action Project, my group worked with WASHPIRG and organized various plastic cleanups around campus. To connect more deeply to the earth, my group chose to engage in a contemplative practice and read a poem prior to our cleanups. This practice allowed me to bring myself back to the present moment and reflect on the gratitude I have for the earth and my group mates. I was able to stop and appreciate the feeling of sunshine on my face and grass beneath my feet. As I sat with my group mates and the earth, one specific quote from the poem “Letter to Someone Living Fifty Years From Now” struck a chord. It states, “it must seem like we sought to leave you nothing but benzene, mercury, the stomachs of seagulls rippled with jet fuel and plastic.” I want to leave our future generation with the beautiful earth I have gotten to experience, not a mess they must clean up. 

Through the work of my Action Project, I discovered how easy it is to reconnect with nature. This reconnection greatly impacted my perspective on the potential impact we as humans can have on the earth. We can leave future generations with a better earth, but we must first accept the important role we hold as humans living in The Anthropocene. 

https://www.nhm.ac.uk/discover/news/2019/december/humans-are-causing-life-on-earth-to-vanish.html
https://www.japantimes.co.jp/opinion/2019/08/31/commentary/world-commentary/humans-will-remembered-mess/

The Beauty of Stillness

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Throughout this course, we have discussed the ways that the fear of death unconsciously drives many of our life decisions. Buddhist teacher Chögyam Trungpa argues that “we must examine (this fear) through meditation” and if “we look closely, we’ll see basic goodness… at the core of our experience”. After engaging in these contemplative practices, I can understand the combative effect of mindful meditation. 

I have often struggled to feel gratitude for the present moment. Instead, I yearn for the day that follows or ache for the day that has passed. This brings me to my reflection on the contemplative practices that we have participated in this quarter. I initially struggled with the stillness that accompanies these contemplative practices. In the past, I have found that keeping myself busy is the best aid to my anxiety, so this stillness felt uncomfortable. Contemplative practices have allowed me to become comfortable with stillness and feel more connected to my role as a human in the Anthropocene. 

In our most recent practice, I found myself reflecting on how it feels to be a human living in the Anthropocene. I began to focus on the appreciation I had for my body as I sat still on the ground. I reflected on the great power and responsibility that comes with the human experience. I focused on my gratitude to the natural world as I gazed out onto the beautiful campus I get to call home. And most notably, I was with myself in the present moment. 

The course material we study can be disheartening. It is difficult to hear the ways that humanity has destroyed our beautiful earth. However, taking the time to reflect on the beauty of the world through contemplative practices has been an aid to the often-heavy material we discuss. I have been reflecting on the writers of Active Hope’s argument, that “it is too easy to go on unconsciously contributing to the unraveling of our world. We become part of the story of the Great Turning when we increase our awareness, seek to learn more, and alert others to the issues we all face.” Through these contemplative practices, I have begun to feel the power that I have as a human in the Anthropocene. I have a burning desire to become a part of the Great Turning, rather than sit back in complacency as I watch the unraveling of our earth. 

https://theconversation.com/nows-the-time-to-rethink-your-relationship-with-nature-151641

WE ARE NATURE – LIVING IN THE ANTHROPOCENE

biscotto87, et al. “Meditation Stock Illustrations.” IStock, https://www.istockphoto.com/illustrations/meditation.

 

Accepting Temporariness

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Prior to reading Sheldon Solomon’s book, The Worm at the Core, I had never considered the possibility that “death is the worm at the core of the human condition”. What an intriguing, yet terrifying sentiment. Solomon claims that the fear of death “is one of the primary driving forces of human action”, an idea I initially found hard to swallow. How can this inevitable experience impact us so greatly? However, after more deeply analyzing Solomon’s claim throughout my reading of The Worm at the Core, this idea rings true in my ears. Humans possess an awareness and fear of death that is unique from any other species. As a result of this ever-present knowledge of mortality, humans have come up with a multitude of ways to manage these thoughts, often dubbed ‘terror management strategies.’

To manage the ‘terror’ that comes with the knowledge of inevitable death, humans often cling tightly to cultural worldviews. In fact, Solomon and his colleagues conducted a study which found that judges would grant more punitive sentences to prostitutes after being reminded of their mortality. To me, this provides great insight into why many humans politicize and question “Anthropocene problems”, such as climate change. Many people find meaning in supporting a cause that is larger than themselves, while others would rather not accept our detrimental impact on the earth as it may force them to change their current behavior, thereby shattering their current world view.

While dismissing climate change may be effective in limiting terror, it is not effective in mitigating the crises caused by the Anthropocene. Rather, I believe that coming to terms with our fragile existence may motivate us to heal the earth for future generations. As I have been participating in recent contemplative practices, I have been reflecting on my fragile yet remarkable existence. How incredible is it to be a human standing at the threshold of the Anthropocene? A time where I can comprehend the temporariness of my existence, while simultaneously understanding the permanent impact our species can have. Steven Peck proposes that we “situate (ourselves) deeply within the cycle of life and death. (And remember that) Life matters. Death matters. Both rely on one another”, an idea that I think would greatly benefit humans living in the Anthropocene. While our existence is shaky, our impact on the earth does not have to be. We can embrace our temporariness and help reshape the earth we walk on.

Mads Perch/Getty Images

 

Works Cited

Solomon, Sheldon, et al. The Worm at the Core: On the Role of Death in Life. Penguin Books, 2016.

Peck, Steven L. “Death and the Ecological Crisis.” Agriculture and Human Values, vol. 27, no. 1, 2009, pp. 105–109., https://doi.org/10.1007/s10460-008-9189-y.

Being a Human in the Anthropocene: First Thoughts by Lindsay Lucenko

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As we have begun to delve deeper into the course material, I find myself feeling comforted. I do not find comfort in the discussion of inevitable mortality, nor do I find it in the discussion of the ecological damage caused by human industry. In fact, I find comfort in knowing that being a human in the Anthropocene is a rare and opportune experience, and one that I get to explore and discuss with a group of my peers. To be a human in the Anthropocene is to exist in a time when our actions as humans matter more than they ever have before.

The course material thus far has made me re-examine the relationship that exists between humans and the earth. I had not previously comprehended that the human impact on the earth is so great that it created a new geological epoch known as The Anthropocene, the age of the humans. After reading The Ecomodernist Manifesto, a piece that describes the potential impacts of the Anthropocene, I was left feeling alarmed. While I am distressed by the grave ecological impacts of human industrialization, I am still left with hope for our ecological future. The Ecomodernist Manifesto states that there can be a “good, or even great, Anthropocene”. This will only be possible if we as humans are able to “convinc(e) our fellow citizens that these places, and the creatures that occupy them, are worth protecting,”. This may be difficult given that humans often use an individualistic approach to examine situations. However, I believe that analyzing ecology through the lens of the Anthropocene allows humans to see just how large our collective impact can be. This lens shows that if we collectively choose to shift our priorities, our impact as humans in the Anthropocene can be a positive one.

A large part of my excitement for this course comes from the contemplative practices we have been participating in. Pausing and appreciating what it feels like to be a human in the Anthropocene is calming in a class that is often filled with heavy topics. I find myself now feeling empowered rather than frightened to be a citizen standing in the threshold of The Anthropocene. We hold the power to make the Anthropocene a good one. An era that can benefit us as humans and help to heal the beautiful green earth we get to call home. 

http://https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fvgG-pxlobk

Works Cited

“An Ecomodernist Manifesto.” An ECOMODERNIST MANIFESTO, http://www.ecomodernism.org/. 

arlindbosh. “Welcome to the Anthropocene.” YouTube, YouTube, 1 Apr. 2012, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fvgG-pxlobk. 

https://slate.com/technology/2016/02/some-say-climate-change-marks-the-anthropocene-a-new-geological-age-theyre-wrong.html. Accessed 23 Oct. 2021.