Maha K. ElSalhy - Wendell Berry

Wendell Berry an amazing poet who has taken a special interest in environmental issues. Wendell Berry had a great speech on mankind's ecological imprint where he was discussing the various steps that he described as an agenda that can be taken by anyone anywhere. He also described this agenda as a radical one that if followed could cause a huge impact on or ecological system. What is so interesting about Wendell Berry’s speech is the fact that it was less than 4 minutes long but it was so rigorous and informative that it summed up both the ecological problem and the solution for it. For a better understanding of what he said in the speech I printed it so you can follow it while listening or just read it. Here is the video:

Wendell Berry

The exact words as said by Wendell Berry in his speech were:

“The hummingbird successfully crossing the Gulf of Mexico is adapted mile by mile to the distance. It does not exceed its own mental and physical capacities and it makes the trip exactly like preindustrial human migrants on contemporary energy. For humans, local adaptation is not work for a few financiers and a few intellectual and political hotshots. This is work for everybody, requiring everybody's intelligence. It is work inherently democratic. What must we do?

First, we must not work or think on a heroic scale. In our age of global industrialism, heroes too likely risk the lives of people, places and things they do not see. We must work on a scale proper to our limited abilities. We must not break things we cannot fix. There is no justification ever for permanent ecological damage. If this imposes the verdict of guilt upon us all, so be it.

Second, We must abandon the homeopathic delusion that the damages done by industrialization can be corrected by more industrialization.

Third, We must quit solving our problems by moving on. We must try to stay put and to learn where we are geographically, historically and ecologically.

Fourth, We must learn, if we can, the sources and costs of our own economic lives.

Fifth, We must give up the notion that we are too good to do our own work and clean up our own messes. It is not acceptable for this work to be done for us by wage slavery or by enslaving nature.

Sixth, By way of correction, we must make local, locally adapted economies based on local nature, local sunlight, local intelligence and local work.

Seventh, We must understand that these measures are radical. They go to the root of our problem. They cannot be performed for us by any expert, political leader or corporation.

This is an agenda that may be undertaken by ordinary citizens at any time on their own initiative. In fact it describes an effort already undertaken all over the world by many people. It defines also the expectation that citizens who by their gifts are exceptional will not shirk the most humble service.”

This speech if considered and act upon could severally impact our future and even save us from many disasters that we brought upon our self. I myself will start by taking a step and not depend on “wage slavery”. In other words I will clean my own room. I bet my mum will be thrilled once she hears that.

Poet Wendell Berry on mankind's ecological imprint. Berry, Wendell. The Washington Post. Web.11 May 2011.