Ishmael Final Chapters

Chapter ten begins with the pupil seeking out his missing teacher. He goes on quite the chase, his failures due mostly in part to his being unable to admit that he's actually searching for a gorilla and not a person. When he finally finds Ishmael, on exhibit in a circus of sorts, the reader goes on the same journey as the pupil does: How could this happen to him? How could people treat him this way? Why did he let himself be subdued in this way? It's amazing how much more sympathy we have for an animal when we know that it is human-like. Even though, most of our lives we know this to be true anyway-- we usually quiet that voice in our minds, and insist that it's okay to mistreat animals because we are above them. But I suppose the book's already delved into that.

Ishmael and his student argue a bit at first about his current circumstances, but they end up going on as usual; Continuing the lesson from the point they left off, after the fall of Adam and murder of Abel's reinterpretation. I have to admit I was a bit jarred that they continued on so fluidly. I almost wish they had spent a bit more time in the "how" and "why" of their new circumstances, being that it's a bit odd for them to be continuing this lesson as usual being in a circus. In the new lesson one of my favorite parts was when they're talking about the Takers' view of the past: "...we're a very 'new' people. Every generation is somehow new, more thoroughly cut off from the past than the one that came before." I found this very interesting, as I've always been a bit obsessed with how life circles around in that way. Each generation seems to be doomed to repeat a cycle something along the lines of this: starting out a 'new' way of thinking which divides them from previous generations, unifying in that new mindset, growing older in that mindset and starting families of their own, raising their kids in that mindset until they're old enough to start their new way of thinking, making the older generation suddenly outdated, 'conservative,' and often times unwelcome to the new thinking. I'm not even sure if this is exactly what Ishmael and his student were getting at, but it's where my mind took me. (Some light reading on generational theories.) Bringing it back to that excerpt though, this particular cycle lends to the Takers' way of thinking that he's pointing out in this section: That the people alive today are smarter than any people who have ever been alive, and we are more advanced and more capable of life than anything else that has ever been on Earth. I love how this book has made me so aware of this mindset and it's dangers.

An interesting section; If everyone knew the teachings of Ishmael to be true, would we care?

The book wraps up with talking about the prison that the Taker culture puts us in, which is our stubborn need for power and "Consuming the world." Ishmael and his student disagree on one point in this section, which is that Ishmael believes humans could agree that destroying the cultural prison of the Takers' is something everyone could agree is worth striving for. His student argues that even in the event that every person involved in Taker culture heard Ishmael's lessons, they would still buy into Mother Culture and not "give a damn that it's a prison and . . . [not] give a damn that it's destroying the world." Unfortunately, with everything we've learned in this class I'm inclined to believe that the student is more likely to be right in this disagreement.

In the end, when Ishmael has declared his lessons finished, his student sets out to rescue him from his imprisonment at the circus. Instead, he discovers that Ishmael has died. The ending of the book really wraps a bow on the package for me. I think that Ishmael dying is the only way to have made all of their interactions and all of his teachings more impactful and eternal. Overall this book was a great complement to Eaarth; reading them so closely together was a very powerful experience for me.

Ishamel Ch 9

The beginning paragraph already had a sentence that got me thinking."...I thought I glimpsed a look of wary speculation in his eyes, as if my proximity troubled him as much as his troubled me." I love that idea. Ishmael has as much cause to fear his pupil as his pupil believes he has to fear him. It reminds me of talking to my friend who had recently studied abroad in South Africa, and had spent a small amount of time in Rwanda. In the time she spent there she went gorilla trekking, and she told me the story of it. Apparently, the tour guides were all carrying large guns, and my friend asked if they were to protect them from the gorillas. The guides laughed at her, and responded that the gorillas would never hurt them, the guns were because they were near a war zone. I think that really relates here. That all humans probably would've assumed the same as my friend in that situation--"We're going into the wild, we need to protect ourselves from the wild." When, ironically, the wild that they needed to fear was not the habitat they were entering.

Ishmael goes into great detail about the gods and how they came to rule the world, and put man in it. One of my favorite parts of this section was this:

"'Whatever I can justify doing is good and whatever I cannot justify doing is evil.' But the others scoffed at this, saying, 'This is not the knowledge of good and evil.' 'Of course it's not,' the other replied, 'but how would Adam know this?'"

This book is great at revealing truths of human nature, and this is no exception. For the most part, this is absolutely how we operate. If we can justify it, we must be right. If we can't, then it's wrong. And while the counter argument to this is, "Well, of course, that's how morality works." I can see the problem with this. To think like this puts ourselves at the center of our own universe, and says that all things happen for our own benefit.

The chapter concludes with identifying Adam as the protagonist in the story of the Takers, making the distinction that Adam began the culture we know today, not the race of humanity we know today. I enjoy this point a lot. I look forward to finishing this book!

Ishamel Chapters 5-8

When I take breaks from this book to read other things, I find the writing style very refreshing. Right of the bat I was excited to read more analyses of humanity and our ways of thinking, and I wasn't let down. I love the way he describes our relationship to the earth; We believe we were put here to conquest it, and will keep on attempting to conquest every single part of nature until we "rule" over nature. This way of thinking reminds me of Eaarth and McKibben's talk of acidifying oceans, increased tropical storms, wild fires, general unpredictability of nature. And I can't help but feeling smug on Nature's behalf: we're no match.

"Until the last three or four decades, the people of your culture had no doubt that things were just going to go on getting better and better and better forever. There was no conceivable end in sight." This line brings to mind all of the dystopian future movies that have been released within the last ten years or so. It makes me think that perhaps our culture collectively feels a sense of foreboding; That perhaps we know we've gone too far, abused too long, put out of mind long enough the damage we're wreaking on our planet.

Coexist!!! Taken in my backyard.

One of my favorite parts of the reading was in Ch. 7 part 2, when Ishmael is talking about "wild life" and how humans understand it vs. how it actually functions. He establishes that there is a fundamental law of peace that allowed all creatures and "Homo sapiens sapiens" to live peacefully on Earth for three million years, but that when Humans decided that we were exempt from this law, that Nature was ours for the taking and it was made for us, is when the destruction of Earth began. "'Their explanation is that something is fundamentally wrong with people.' 'Not that you Takers may be doing something wrong but rather that there is something fundamentally wrong with human nature itself.'" I love this part. It's revealing of the psychology that allows us to go on living with the fact that we're trashing the planet. While it's exciting to read this book because of what it reveals of human nature, it's simultaneously discouraging because you realize how right Ishmael is about all of our flaws.

Last but not least, Ishmael's reveal of the law that allows Nature to coexist, diversity, brings it all home for me. This is truly what we've lost touch with. For me it brings to mind the fact that we're killing off our bees with pesticides and chemicals. I recently read this article about the creation of small robots/drones that pollinate flowers. We're trying, once again, to rise above nature, say to nature "we don't need you," instead of being humble enough to admit what we're doing wrong and fix it.

Walden Chapters pt. 2

Lake Michigan, ten minutes away from my home (definitely taken for granted.)

Keeping up with his pattern, Thoreau sticks to talking about precisely what each chapter is named after. In The Ponds he discusses his time spent at the ponds, specifically of course, Walden pond. He describes this pond in great detail, with admiration and awe in his tone. I love the way he describes the variations in the color of water; How dependent on the environment, the angle at which you are to it, the amount of water there is. To hear it described so in depth makes his wonder infectious to the reader. I can't help but think of how, being from Michigan, water is something I've always sort of taken for granted. Then you meet people from Arizona and you're like "Where do you swim?" Which brings to mind our conversations in class about desert landscapes being unsustainable for human living, and how our location next to such a large supply of fresh water could be potentially very interesting in our new Eaarth.

One section that I particularly enjoyed in The Pond in Winter, although a little hard to follow, was when he uses the pond/bodies of water in general
to draw parallels and make comparisons with how we learn things about another person. "It is true, we are such poor navigators that our thoughts, for the most part, stand off and on upon a harborless coast, are conversant only with the bights of the bays of poesy, or steer for the public ports of entry, and go into the dry docks of science, where they merely refit for this world, and no natural currents concur to individualize them." He talks about how telling the character of water is the same as telling the character of an individual.

In Spring he talks first of the season's effects on Walden, and then more broadly about the season itself. He describes the woods in the springtime, and why the season appeals to him. I like how he captures the feeling of eagerly searching for the first sign of spring. This year, I feel that that's not the case. But my whole childhood, I remember growing excited at the lengthening of days, excited to hear a bird singing, excited even to see the sun come out and melt away some of the grey.

I'll end on the same note that Thoreau does with Spring-- how true it is that we depend upon nature. More and more we forget this. But I believe the time is coming soon when we'll be forced to remember.

Walden Chapters

In Where I Lived and What I Lived For Walden does just that: discuss ideas of living, how he came to live where he lived in the woods, and why his life led him there. If I'm not mistaken, this chapter of Walden is one of the most well known, and most quoted. And I believe this is one of the more well known lines from this chapter, but I love it: "Every morning was a cheerful invitation to make my life of equal simplicity, and I may say innocence, with Nature herself." There are a few things I love about that sentence. The first being his capitalization of Nature, which he tends to do. The reverence he holds for it is refreshing, especially in light of what we talked about with Ishmael last class; We're brought up with the attitude that the Earth, and Nature, is ours for the taking. Walden, obviously, takes quite a different stance.

There's something so lovely and inspiring about Thoreau's life in the woods. It's easy to get lost in the fantasy of it all. But, while full of wonder, I always find myself simultaneously hopeless. Because his attitude toward life and living is so deliberate and worth striving for, yet also so unattainable. Realistically, even the most passionate nature-lovers among us still have many ties to modern society, and an extreme dependence on it for the things we want in life (education, careers, social lives, etc.) This chapter and his lifestyle are very much embodied in a 2016 Oscar nominated film, Captain Fantastic. I highly recommend this film if this particular chapter interests you the way it interests me.

In Sounds, Walden explores silence, and lack of silence. Particularly in regards to truly listening to nature, and meditating with the sounds of it. And in The Bean-Field he discusses his field in great detail. What it is like to care for it, how nature surrounds it and serves it, what it was like to reap the benefits of his own sowing. And this of course reminds me of the TED talk we watched in class about growing your own food. One line I remember particularly well from that video was "Growing your own food is like printing your own money."

Last but not least, in The Village he analyzes the village that his home in the woods is closest to. He describes the village as being his source of gossip and news. He talks about how dark the woods is at night, and what it was like to walk home from the village late at night. The way he describes the darkness made me realize that it's been quite some time since I've been outside in a darkness like that. He makes it sound so limiting but also so freeing, and I like the duality of that.

Overall, these chapters of Walden provided me with a refreshed sense of purpose, and a renewed appreciation for why nature and the Earth are so vital to our health and sanity.

Ishmael Ch. 3 & 4

 Chapters 3 and 4 of Ishmael are largely about the myth of creation, and how humans have been taught and conditioned to view the world as our property; we view ourselves as the center of all creation. I particularly enjoyed when they were talking about how our viewing of the world as our property leads to us abusing it and doing whatever we please with it. To view the issue in these terms is eye-opening. And it explains a little bit of a discussion we were having in class the other day. A classmate and I discussed how we grew up in conservative towns, where remarks about climate change were either "See look! It's freezing today, climate change isn't real!" or "What a beautiful sunny day! I'm glad that climate change is happening!" Which is essentially what the book is getting at in this section--the mindset is that it's our Earth, we control it; who cares if we change the weather? Life will go on.

I have to say, I'm tiring a little bit of the formula of the conversations between teacher and pupil: A-B, A-B, A-B. Ishmael will say something prophetic, insightful, and wise, and ask a question of his pupil. The response will be complete ignorance of what Ishmael is trying to say, and then asking him to explain. I do wish that Quinn deviated from this formula a little more than he does. That being said, the prophetic sayings of Ishmael are all incredibly thought-provoking, and I do enjoy them. I just tire of his pupil being continuously in the dark as to what he's getting at.

In chapter 4 Ishmael asks his pupil to provide the middle and end to the creation myth that humans believe, and helps him to discover the second core belief of our mythology: That man is made to rule Earth. I find this theorizing helpful in understanding the psychology of why so very little has been done to lessen our damage to our own environment, which is something we've been discussing in class quite frequently.

A time I felt "part of" and not "above" nature. Taken in New Zealand.

Ishmael's last statement summarizes what climate change means for Earth "mankind [is] the enemy of the world." The idea of nature overpowering humanity, which he touches on earlier ("What man built up, the wind and rain tore down. The fields he cleared for his crops and his villages, the jungle fought to reclaim") though terrifying, is honestly kind of awesome. And I think understanding that we are a part of nature, as opposed to the ruler of it, is where the cure for our society's environmental abuse lies.

Eaarth Ch. 4 Close Reading

I'd like to focus on this passage from Ch. 4:

"Can we really have the equivalent of farmers' markets in electrons? It sounds unlikely, but think a little harder. Say you cut your energy use by a quarter--perhaps by turning off the video-game console once Grand Theft Auto was done for the day. Then say you put some solar panels on your roof, the energy equivalent of a backyard garden. They probably couldn't supply you with all your juice, but some of it. Now the task of providing the rest locally has begun to look less daunting."

The community garden in my hometown.

Farmers' market peaches in Michigan

In Chapter four McKibben finally gives us the tidbits of hope and the semblance of plans that we've been craving ever since that first devastating, hard-hitting chapter. His ideas on decentralized farming and cutting down our energy waste so that we can switch to sustainable sources are encouraging--because they feel doable. We just need to get everyone on board. Which unfortunately is easier said than done. Earlier he talks about how farmers' markets and community gardens are on the rise in the suburbs of the US. I love the challenge he poses with that first question. By putting it in terms of something that has become quite commonplace--a farmers' market--he makes renewable energy sources seem not so far-fetched and unattainable.

I also love how he puts energy conservation in every-day terms. He really emphasizes how even the smallest things we do can make an impact, which I find encouraging. I've been unplugging things left and right when I'm able. And although it's been less impactful on my utility bill than I would've hoped, it does make me feel like I'm doing what I can. I love this passage because he makes it sound easy. Just a few little shifts in habits, just a few new hobbies, a few new investments. I like that way of looking at it.

Communities working together to cut back reliance on fossil fuels and invest in local sustainability is totally manageable. In fact, there are many cities that are working actively towards these goals even now. I like how McKibben does such a great job of encouraging people to think as a team. There's a strong sense of togetherness in his plans for the future. Because that's where the hope lies, truly. I'm glad to leave this book feeling much more knowledgeable, and fired up to be a proponent of the shift in sustainability that our culture needs.

Ishmael Ch. 1 & 2

My initial reaction to the writing style was amusement. Immediately the tone shift from Eaarth is a bit disarming. Because there's a playful quality to the writing. One example of this: "Nobody's out to save the world, because nobody gives a damn about the world. . .Get a job, make some money, work till you're sixty, then move to Florida and die." While the content itself isn't necessarily uplifting or humorous, the tone and quality with which he writes brings it to life in that way.

I have to say, when I reached the big reveal- the unveiling that the teacher was a gorilla- I had a hard time getting on board at first. I think the author anticipates this, and is still unapologetic for it. In the following pages the reader is warmed up to the idea, and soon accepts it. But at first, it's hard to get on board. Because we are conditioned to not see humanity in animals (unless they're are pets.)

The wisdom of the teacher seems to be abounding. He says things like "...in Africa I was a member of a family--a sort of family that the people of your culture haven't known for thousands of years." His story is interesting and full of very thought-provoking ideas. But still, about half-way through chapter one I think I was still a bit wary and unsure.

With the start of chapter 2, and Ishmael's discussion of third-reich Germany, I can't help but think of present day America. And I know the Hitler comparisons have been flung around for months, but looking at history critically is an essential skill. And I have to say, I do see the similarities. He talks of Hitler convincing the German nation of his story. That whole section I found very interesting.

Overall, at the end of these chapters I'm excited to keep reading. As I said in the beginning of this post, the change in tone from Eaarth is a bit refreshing.