The Bub in the Belly

The Peace of Wild Things
When despair for the world grows in me
and I wake in the night at the least sound
in fear of what my life and my children’s lives may be,
I go and lie down where the wood drake
rests in his beauty on the water, and the great heron feeds.
I come into the peace of wild things
who do not tax their lives with forethought
of grief. I come into the presence of still water.
And I feel above me the day-blind stars
waiting with their light. For a time
I rest in the grace of the world, and am free.

- Wendell Berry

This poem, by Wendell Berry, one of the greatest American nature poets of the 20th century, speaks to me deeply. The person finds himself in a situation that I find myself in often - where I have anxiety and doubt about my life, my situation, what I'm doing, even who I am. Some people right themselves by taking a walk or by reading a book or by playing a computer game. The person in the poem found his solace and peace by seeking out nature and by being among the 'wild things'. The poet is telling us that there is a balance between man and nature and when that balance is upset, we need to stop and examine our actions.

This moved me deeply because it expresses fundamental truths. Firstly, it is when we discard the complications of our life and live in the moment that our inner compass points to its true north and we find peace.

Secondly, there is a natural balance between man and nature. We should not be living selfishly, as though we are not part of the natural order of things. Perhaps Agent Smith said it best when he said to Neo (in the movie "The Matrix"),

"I'd like to share a revelation that I've had during my time here. It came to me when I tried to classify your species and I realized that you're not actually mammals. Every mammal on this planet instinctively develops a natural equilibrium with the surrounding environment but you humans do not. You move to an area and you multiply and multiply until every natural resource is consumed and the only way you can survive is to spread to another area. There is another organism on this planet that follows the same pattern. Do you know what it is? A virus. Human beings are a disease, a cancer of this planet. You're a plague and we are the cure."

We need to realise, properly realise, that our actions have consequences and that we are morally obligated to live responsibly and ethically during our time here. It's not a hobby, it's not a fantasy, it's not a romantic notion. It's our moral duty, as thinking, feeling and intelligent beings.

Blog Action Day 2009 - An amazing 13,563 blogs from 156 countries with more than 18 million readers participated to raise awareness on climate change. How amazing is that?