Holistic Wilderness and Ecology: hiking, backpacking, fishing, hunting

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A Holistic Ecology

This site promotes a holistic view of wilderness. It is the original sense of wilderness of Aldo Leopold - the man responsible for designating the first wilderness area in the United States. In this context, the term 'holistic' defines a philosophy wherein we, the human species, are considered an active member of the natural world around us. That membership implies an individual, personal and intimate sense of involvement and interaction. It also implies a conscious and active maternal and paternal concern for the natural preservation of those resources that we might consume. Native Americans, hunters and fishers with a true sense of ecology understand this precept well - active individual and family units interacting within the natural balance of nature.

Our concept of wilderness has changed dramatically over the millennia. The first reference to wilderness we find in the early literary works of the Bible in the stories of Moses and John the Baptist - "the voice of one crying in the wilderness". Initially, wilderness was a place largely associated with spiritual pursuits and discovery.

More recently, in the historic western culture of America, the term was used to define a harsh and unforgiving environment where people challenged, fought and lost there lives. This was a valid perception given the people and the harsh realities of that life and time. Wilderness was something to be domesticated.

Today we find that wilderness has taken on a new meaning. Ironically, the term now implies natural wonder and grandeur - something we want our children to experience. The contemporary perception implies outdoor recreation. Wilderness is "fun" and "exciting". Above all else, as our human population has grown, our proverbial sense of supply and demand has altered our sense of wilderness. It has become something to be protected and otherwise preserved from our continued domestication.

In all cases, I find it rather curious to note that the term 'wilderness' has always defined something outside the norm in regards to the human experience. It has always been something one finds or experiences "out there". And although it has at times implied harshness, even those of the old west sought solace there. It is rather ironic to note that this last statement itself implies that it is not "here".

Given today's understanding of wilderness, I am compelled to ask, is our current understanding really new? It stems from the idea that, inherent within the earth itself, is a system that sustains and promotes the biodiversity of living things. Among all other things, it has given birth to humankind. This system we now call 'ecology'. But our perception is something more than recognition, it implies a sense of respect. In two simple words - Mother Nature. Others continue to attribute that sense of recognition and respect in one word - God. It is a rather intriguing thought that both sexes are represented there and that some might consider us the result of that union. Regardless, wilderness is still a place where the majority of us find our sense and a greater meaning of life. Things have not changed so much since the Biblical record of so long ago.

Of course, our understanding is not new. It is and always has been a common teaching within the cultures of indigenous peoples (Native American), many of our contemporary religious belief systems, and was the original teaching of the forefathers of today's ecology. Wilderness and all things wild were collectively considered a single entity (ecology) and even animated with a sense of anthropomorphism (human-like behavior and character). We are only one species among many in a much larger socio-biological and interactive living system.

"We abuse land because we regard it as a commodity belonging to us. When we see land as a community to which we belong, we may begin to use it with love and respect."

Aldo Leopold, A Sand County Almanac
Permission to quote, Oxford University Press.

Many people view wilderness today as something separate from humankind. They propose that wilderness is something that exists and must be preserved outside of our human existence. This is incompatible with our holistic view. Unless we learn to live within the bounds of the greater ecology of this earth, we cannot hope to discover our longevity as a species and otherwise learn to insure the diversity of all life around us.

Is it politically incorrect to recognize humankind as an active member and the dominant species on this earth? Are we not a single species at that very point and peak of the pinnacle of the food chain pyramid - our intellectual capacity placing us above the carnivores? Given that intellectual capacity, do we not inherit the responsibility as caretaker while accepting our place and part in the ecology of this earth?

Are we not wilderness?

Join us in our intellectual and spiritual explorations - an effort to discover ourselves, our place, and the greater realm that surrounds us. Welcome to Wildlanders.com.

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