"I live on Tolowa (Indian) land. Prior to the arrival of the dominant
culture, the Tolowa lived here for 12,500 years, if you believe the
myths of science. If you believe the myths of the Tolowa, they lived
here since the beginning of time....
"How do we hear the rest of the natural world? Unsurprisingly enough,
the answer is: by listening. That’s not easy, given that we have been
told for several thousand years that these others are silent. But the
fact that we cannot easily hear them doesn’t mean they aren’t speaking,
and does not mean they have nothing to say. I’ve had people respond to
my suggestion that they listen to the natural world by going outside
for five minutes and then returning to say they didn’t hear anything.
But how can you expect to learn any new language (remember, most
nonhumans don’t speak English) in such a short time? Learning to listen
to our nonhuman neighbors takes effort, humility, and patience.
"The Tolowa believed the nonhuman world had something to say, and that what the nonhuman world had to say was vital to their own survival. Given that they were living here sustainably for 12,500 years, and given that we manifestly are not, perhaps the least we could do is acknowledge that they were on to something, and maybe even explore just what that kind of relationship might look and feel like."
from Derrick Jensen, "Playing for Keeps: Would we listen to nature if our lives depended on it?", Orion Magazine, November-December 2009
