My Ethical Relationship to the Land

  My ethical relationship to the land stems from consistent interaction with it.  As an archaeologist, a lot of the work I do involves surveying in areas that have little to no permanent human impact.  Yet.  I feel incredibly lucky to stand on a precipice and look out and see nothing but the land, and indescribably sad knowing that the purpose of our survey is so that construction of some kind can occur.  There is a certain peace, and at the same time an energizing sense of being truly grounded when confronted with mountains unblemished by road, pipeline, or building.  I have never been able to recreate that feeling back home in the ever expanding metropolis.  The land truly can speak to the soul.

  Because of this work, I have become more conscious of what I can do as an individual to minimize my impact on the land.  If nothing else, the miles I’ve hiked have shown me how truly finite our natural earth is.  As a result it becomes easier to understand how every recyclable item thrown away, every car driven solo, and every house light left on takes away from the little we have left.  The craziest part, I find, is that while many have come to understand our impact on the planet, few get out to truly experience its wonders.

  All of the technology we’ve become used to numbs us to the point of ambivalence.  Why go out for a hike when I can watch a movie set in the rain forest?  Why play a sport when I can play a video game version of that sport right from my recliner?  In “An Ethic of the Earth” Momaday says, “… we have suffered a kind of psychic dislocation of ourselves in time and space.”  I believe this to be an important truth, especially within the last couple of generations.  Our virtual world has become almost limitless and our culture thrives within it, shutting out the quietly amazing planet that surrounds us.

  The moments in my life where I have been most at peace have been when I am completely surrounded by nature.  I believe the world would be a healthier, happier place if more people sought to discover what the land can offer them and, in turn, find meaning behind what they can offer it.

Jenean Roberts