Sustainability and Tears for Bleeding Trees

“We do not look at trees either as Dryads or as beautiful objects while we cut them into beams: the first man who did so may have felt the price keenly, and the bleeding trees in Virgil and Spenser may be far-off echoes of that primeval sense of impiety."

This quote from the Abolition of Man [1] came to me very strongly yesterday as we were cutting several trees from a woodland area on my proprety. The trees had grown so tall that they were taking away all the sunny areas from the gardens around our house.

My only consolation is that 10 years ago there were no trees or gardens. In reality the picture below shows the propety when we prepared the land for construction and re-florestation. See picture below.

Then it became like this:

SInce our proprety is called Narnia, I compiled the following considerations regarding nature based on the Chronicles of Narnia and the Cosmic Trilogy of CS Lewis.

1 – What we do in relation to the environment depends on how we think about our relationship with nature in general, and the environment in particular.

2 – Our world is part of a cosmos that is full of life; that is, life loaded with meaning, and this meaning comprises and integrates the ethical relationships between living beings.

3 – In Narnia, the forest, the rivers, the countryside, etc., have meanings and values; renews our humanity and must be preserved for this reason as well, if for no other.

4 – A tree is never merely a tree to be explored and, therefore, needs all consideration and care. Deforestation, agribusiness and unsustainable exploitation are exposed in Narnia and the science fiction. The environmental footprint should be everyone's concern.

5 – One of the most important ideals of stewardship, agriculture and care for nature is local food. Food should be consumed in part by the community that produces it and is concerned about the health of the land on which it grows.

6 – Technology must be used wisely and not destructively. At the heart of sustainability there must be a recognition of nature's limitations and a willingness to subject it to normative practices.

7 – When we violate the laws of nature, it will turn against us in all its manifestations and destroy us. The materialist view in which everything can be reduced and become a physical component will lead to the destruction of humanity. A star is not just a burning ball of gas – but this is what it is composed of.

8 – If there are no transcendent values, each person can create their own moral system and nothing will be able to evaluate what is best for the sustainability of nature. Thus, any argument in defense of ecology, conservation or preservation disappears.

9 – The vision of a world full of life, goodness and purpose; rich in values, and intertwined with ethical relationships is the key for sustainability ... the idea of nature as enchanted by spirits that live in trees, rivers and mountains.

10 – For the author of the Narnia Chronicles nature is “an index, a symbol and a divine manifestation.” The index points to something else; the symbol does not point to something else but represents this thing; the manifestation does not point or represent, but shows the qualities of this thing. Nature has a kind of voice that points beyond itself."

Rubem Alves said: "Every garden begins with a love story." This one was not an exception. Thanks to my lovely wife.

Cheers,

Paulo

[1] The Abolition of Man, CS Lewis, 1943