The Sacred Balance

Activities Resource List:
David Suzuki’s The Sacred Balance (excerpts on YouTube)
http://www.davidsuzuki.org/NatureChallenge/at_Work/sacredbalance.asp

I grew up on a farm near Roblin, MB. My family farms wheat, canola, oats and other grains. We also currently have cows and buffalo, and have raised chickens, geese, and pigs in the past. We put in a large garden every year. My Dad, brothers and I all know how to hunt and fish responsibly as well. When you grow up in this way it is impossible to forget exactly how much we depend on the environment for survival. I think that David Suzuki was trying to show how city life can isolate people from the environment. It's hard to understand how everything connects when all your food comes from the grocery store. As city-dwellers we must find ways to reconnect to nature. An idea for my Environmental Action assignment has emerged from reflecting on this movie. I would like to promote community gardening, backyard nut and fruit orchards, and try to get a bill passed that allows people in apartments to have a plot of land for their own small garden. This will help people to remember that we are not just members of a human community, but also the entire diverse community of organisms from the bugs to the trees. I think that this will help people recognize and develop their "biophilia." For this to be fully realized I think you must go deeper than just visiting the Zoo or a park.

One theme in the movie that really struck me was the idea of basically equating nature and God/gods. On the island of Bali and the high Andes where David Suzuki visited they believe that God actually IS the mountain and the rivers his veins, etc. The teachings of this religion gives the people an inherent respect and gratitude for all aspects of nature. When they thank God for a good harvest or a needed rainfall they are essentially thanking the earth itself. I again must contrast this with my own upbringing in the Catholic religion. Unfortunately the way the stories from the Bible are presented seems to give man the attitude that we are dominant and superior to all other living creatures, and that the primary reason for their existance is for OUR existance and use. Even if many young people are not very religious these days, this idea has persisted in our attitudes towards the environment. The main point may have been missed...that is, "God" may have intended us to have more of a stewardship over nature (someone who oversees and manages another's property) but somehow that message got lost. Nevertheless, when my Dad has a good harvest he definitely say thank you to God, not to the earth itself. He believes what he has been taught to believe, and nothing more. My parents in general find what I have have grown to believe startling and foreign and definitely breaking tradition...but I take it as a good sign. I don't want to sound vain but I wish everyone was a little more like me....fully willing to admit when I've made a mistake (and/or that my society is making mistakes) and wanting to do whatever it takes to change that.

David Suzuki mentions future generations as he takes a walk with his son (I'm guessing). In my experience my current generation is definitely becoming more environmentally aware. Last year some of my "younger" co-workers and I pressured the owner into starting a recycling program at the store we work at (Shoppers Drug Mart). I felt very proud of that at the time. But currently I'm starting to feel like we should be doing a lot more. I would gladly make more sacrifices for my environment, and I think a lot of people would too if they knew where to start, or had someone encourage them to do so. Probably 95% of my other co-workers never even thought of recycling until we actually put a blue bin next to the garbage can...and now I would estimate at least 50% of them do now that they're aware of it and it's convenient.

I think that David Suzuki's movie clearly shows that we as a society need a major shift- not just in our actions, but also in our beliefs, values, and priorites. We need to start reconnecting with nature, becoming more aware, and personally taking responsibility for our environmental state.