Interconnectedness

I find Tim Morton's concept of "Ecology without Nature" challenging and very thought-provoking. One important question is if we see nature as a concept that is seperate from us in that we are "here" and nature is "over there" how do we change this way of thinking?

We mentioned in class that we are able to see connections to Buddhist philosophies in the text. I immediately thought of the concept of "anatta" or "no-self" in which it is impossible for a soul to exist in a being, because a soul is a fixed and permanent entity and we are subject to inevitable decay-- put simply, feel free to elaborate or correct me. A being is not permanent. Thinking about the continuous change that is the human life cycle made it easier for me to connect with the idea that the "I" is not as seperate as we like to imagine. Like we said in class, the "I" in a word statement like "I am lying" (I forget the proper name for these contradictory statements) becomes seperated but still completely dependant on the "I" that is speaking. The "I" that is speaking is not, in fact, "lying" when admitting (truthfully) to be telling a falsehood (we described this much better in class, so confusing!). I see how these two I's are seperate, in a way, but still ultimately connected. One could not exist without the other.

In imagining the process of a human life including death decay, and how we are constantly changing, it is easier to see the web of connections we have to everyone and everything around us.