Mr. Grumpy's Integral Ecology Report Part 4

...in which we see the highest level of ecological awareness respond to the crisis, in the same way that I could convince myself that shit is actually chocolate mousse. (Thanks Trungpa Rinpoche for that disgusting and relevant image!)

In Integral Ecology chapter 9, Zimmerman runs again up the scale of eco-awareness, from ecowarrior (“I love whales”) to ecosage (“Whales are an amazing expression of Eros”). Now our sage is not phased by current conditions. Instead, from the depths of wisdom, he or she gives us this consummate response to the existing crisis:

We are losing a nice local version of reality we've been basking in for several million years, the lovely landscapes, the fauna and flora of the late Cenozoic, the Age of Flowering Plants and of Mammals. These have been sweet indeed, and it's sad to see them go. Difficult goodbyes must be said. But we won't miss them for long—there's plenty more where they came from. The unbridled, fecund wildness that lies at the heart of co-arising emptiness-luminosity will not disappoint us. A really deep ecologist has understanding of this, and faith in it. This fertile, dangerous, healthy and real wildness is where we should be resting our hopes and our hearts and our minds. We have nothing to lose.  (303–304)

Congratulations, bud. You just made rigpa sound like a nuclear bunker.

By the way, these are the actual words of John McClellan. I believe they speak for themselves. Words fail me, truly, to encapsulate the depth of cynicism, I mean wisdom, they embody. That and a darn good helping of total self satisfaction. Bring back the ecowarrior!

This has to be one of the peak statements of beautiful soul syndrome of all time. Wow. It's like upside down enlightenment. I really, really want this guy to stop watching Nature in the cinema of spectacular politics. Luckily, global warming will melt his roof off.

At the very end of the chapter, Zimmerman tells us, prudently, that we must “facilitate the kind of ecological awareness this planet so desperately needs and will be fine without”(310).

Now that's what I call hedging your bets! Incidentally, I'm going to plump for the without option in this case, if it only means I never read anything that comes close to equaling McClellan's pearls.

I'm skipping over the “integral approach to indigenous peoples,” which I shall post on soon.