Denial In The Once And Future World

The earth has been around for over four and a half billion years. Throughout this time, nature has flourished, constructing more than we could do in a lifetime. More recently though, there has been in a large decline in our overall environment. This decline however is largely unnoticed, with many people simply disregarding the changes completely an act of denial. The main cause behind this rapidly changing world is humans. We serve as a catalyst for all the changes occuring. However, these changes are highly overlooked or forgotten by the common person. This idea of forgetting is discussed in J.B. MacKinnon’s The Once and Future World; J.B. states: “Denial is the last line of defense against memory. It helps us to forget what we’d rather not
Through the dissociation of self from nature, a true bond between all members of Earth’s community will never be formed. The idea of living your life in regards to nature u is referred to as a “land ethic”, a phrase coined by environmentalist, Aldo Leopold in his 1948 book, A Sand County Almanac. A Sand County Almanac is a collection of essays and other works by Leopold arguing for a healthier relationship between humans and the land around them specifically through looking at his home state, Wisconsin. A subset of this book is the essay “The Land Ethic”, an essay that explains the importance of respecting nature and living in mutual respecting unity with it. He also explores the reasons why people make rash decisions regarding nature specifically from an economic standpoint. Both MacKinnon and
“Name a vanished animal, and it its story you are bound to find denial. Sometimes, the species is said to have never lived. More often, it’s said to have never died” (MacKinnon 28). The dissociation of self from nature is so great, that certain living species in nature are utterly ignored to such an extent that their life and death is unnoticeable. Truly caring and living in unity with nature includes being aware of everything in it; noticing all the small details and changes that occur. It is much easier to not feel guilt if you completely disregard everything, rather than accepting the mistakes made and working to change our ways of life, people would rather choose to forget. The ability to forget is very powerful, it allows us to continue living our life in the same wreckless unapologetic way, continuing the actions that led to the demise of other species in the first