Thursday, May 13, 2004

"Ground Truthing" by Terry Tempest Williams

A beautiful journal essay in which Williams' meditates on what the open spaces of wild lands have to teach us about democracy.

"Ground Truthing"
by Terry Tempest Williams
Orion

Here is my question: what might a different kind of power look like, feel like? And can power be distributed equitably among ourselves, even beyond our own species?

The power of nature is the power of a life in association. Nothing stands alone. On my haunches, I see a sunburst lichen attached to limestone; algae and fungi are working together to break down rock into soil. I cannot help but recognize a radical form of democracy at play. Each organism is rooted in its own biological niche, drawing its power from its relationship to other organisms. An equality of being contributes to an ecological state of health and succession.

Read Entire Essay

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