An Ethical Relationship to Land

An ethical relationship to land is one of balance. Although we have established certain conservation efforts already like the EPA, national parks and so on, we are a long way from achieving a balance with the land. Over consumption, pollution, deforestation, habitat loss at the hands of human activity and other atrocities seems to define our relationship with the land at this point in time. It would be naive to think man could perfectly preserve the Earth- our presence is painfully obvious- but a balance between human activity, conservation and preservation exists. What that symbiotic relationship looks like is hard to say. A certain level of resources will always be necessary to sustain our basic human needs like food, shelter and water. Fortunately, these resources mostly replenish themselves. The goal should be to consume at a rate that does not outpace replenishment. Too many people have grown too attached to material comforts- myself included- that they tend to forget the impact these materials have.

On another note, man does not only rely on the land for survival needs but also for spiritual purposes. As N. Scott Momaday describes in An Ethic of the Earth, an ethical relationship to the land derives from our spiritual connection with Mother Nature. Our spiritual connection with the Earth serves as the foundation for an ethical relationship to the land. Momaday believes people have lost this connection: “Most of us have developed an attitude of indifference toward the land.”  This indifferent attitude is dangerous and is not part of an ethical relationship to the land. Achieving a proper balance with the Earth is an active process and not something that happens on its own. We have to properly conserve resources and preserve the beauty of the land so that future generations can enjoy the Earth to its fullest.