We Are "the Environment"

Like most profound things I have heard, I can’t remember where I heard it first. Maybe it was Wendell Berry. It’s definitely something I think he would say. Either way, the saying has stuck with me, and it continues to shape my thinking and behaving on a daily basis. It goes something like this: there’s no such thing as “the environment.” 

What does this mean? Well, the most basic understanding is that there is not this separate entity known as “the environment” that exists somewhere. It doesn’t live in George Clooney’s attic or basement. It doesn’t prefer The Beatles to Elvis. For it, commercials for Cialis are not the single most annoying thing on the planet. But all of this is true only because there is no such thing as “the environment.”

It’s seemingly the case that a group of people invented “the environment” to argue whether we should care about it or not and if so how much and if a lot how. But of course this is all preposterous because it doesn’t exist. It can’t possibly exist because what these people (politicians it seems usually) are arguing about includes water, soil, air, trees, animals, and, ya know, all the things that live and make life possible. And by “life” I should say “all life” including yours and mine. Because you see friends, we as humans are creatures. 

I know, it’s weird. It seems like we should have evolved beyond being creatures when Taco Bell started serving breakfast or when the Ryan Gosling/Macaulay Culkin shirt feud/love affair changed all time and space forever. But in fact, all the stuff you learned about mammals in second grade (maybe?) still applies, and all of it applies to us, who are, actually mammals. Our offspring are born live. We have hair. We drink milk. We are warm-blooded. And yes, we are, completely and totally animals. Which means we need food and water and air to survive. And if any of those things end up being poison, that’s really not good at all for us. Because, once again, we’re animals/mammals/creatures. 

So it’s really quite bizarre to have an argument about whether or not to care for and protect “the environment,” because how can there be another side? Do you like breathing? Anyone love drinking poison? Want to eat some rancid meat? It’s silly because “the environment” is not this separate thing we can choose to care about, because it doesn’t exist. We are “the environment.”