“While we live our bodies are moving particles of the earth, joined inextricably both to the soil and to the bodies of other living creatures. It is hardly surprising, then, that there should be some profound resemblances between our treatment of our bodies and our treatment of the earth.”
While reading Berry’s “The Unsettling of America,” I came across this interesting point in chapter seven. He explains that we, as humans, no matter how urban are lifestyle live off of agriculture, farming, and the land—we even return to it in the end. Therefore, we should have a high level of respect for the earth just as we would our own bodies. Yet, as ideal as that would be, it doesn’t necessarily turn out that way. Many people in the world do not respect the land just as they don’t respect there own bodies. There are many actions occurring everyday of the year that are depleting and hurting the earth—cutting down forests, polluting the water, and hunting animals for purposes other than food. However, it actually isn’t very surprising that this happens when you also look at how humans treat themselves and each other. Unhealthy personal lifestyles and those who constantly hurt and bring others down isn’t a very unlikely situation today. So, when Berry states that we should treat the earth as we would our bodies, just exactly how accurate and appropriate is that request?
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