Brien Carr - Our bodies in Respect to the Earth

While reading "The Unsettling of America," I encountered Berry's discussion about the relationship between the human body and the Earth. Berry discussed the idea of its place in the world that humanity has observed and questioned since the origin of their creation. He also posed the question asking about the relation between the preservation of our bodies and the preservation of the earth. Such ideas connect well with the myself. My personal reglious beliefs are strongly rooted in the concept of preservation of life and the protection of such principles. I am also of the belief that our bodies are the only vehicles we have in this life, and we must protect them as if they are such. Life is short and and its purpose is difficult for many to understand. Berry asks, "What value and respect do we give our bodies?" Until we learn to respect our bodies, how could we learn to respect anything else in our lives. This vessel we reside in in the closest and most noticed resemblance of God's creation we have in our lives.

Berry's thoughts also drifted to the concept of human significance in the wide scope of creation. He mentions the drawings of neolithic cavemen and even in their underdeveloped levels of self-concsiousness they were able to identify the fact that they were a small part of a very, extravagant world. This philsophical concept is one that I often find myself considering. For as much as the human race has accomplished in this small glimpse of our existance, how much more will we accomplish in the future, or within the next 10, 15 years even. Our lives do seem significant in the evolution of nature, yet, the question remains if our lives are overall positive or negative as a whole in relation to the Earth.