I think it's more complicated than y'all're making it. Consider the metaphor of "in our talons": that is, humans are like birds of prey and the rest of the world is our quarry. But the irony is that there's nothing unnatural about what birds of prey do, and there's nothing unnatural about the way humans are treating their environment, either. What's unnatural, in fact, is the figurative imposition of human thoughts and emotions ("wondering," "they know they're drowning") on non-human species. But that's the rub: being "only human" means behaving like every other species on earth (working only for itself, without concern for others). It would actually be better if we were to be more than human (i.e., more than natural), and hold ourselves to some kind of environmental ethics. So, paradoxically, what "takes a lot of nerve" is to accept that the human takeover of the earth is just nature being nature after all.
After seeing a video (and hearing the better part of their third album) about Phil and Beth building a cabin in the woods with their own four hands, I would be inclined to think Meudwen's interpretation nailed it.. Your idea that there's nothing unnatural about humans destroying "this wondrous earth" is a fun thought, but you miss a critical difference between humans and other organisms, which is that humans are perhaps the only ones capable of projecting current conditions forward and predicting outcomes. A bird of prey probably wouldn't understand if it was eating its prey at a...
After seeing a video (and hearing the better part of their third album) about Phil and Beth building a cabin in the woods with their own four hands, I would be inclined to think Meudwen's interpretation nailed it.. Your idea that there's nothing unnatural about humans destroying "this wondrous earth" is a fun thought, but you miss a critical difference between humans and other organisms, which is that humans are perhaps the only ones capable of projecting current conditions forward and predicting outcomes. A bird of prey probably wouldn't understand if it was eating its prey at a rate that would cause it's kind to run out of food in a few generations. Humans are the only "cousin" that has that ability, and so it's reasonable to hold them to a higher standard. With large-scale alteration of the earth in our headlights, we make only the most half-hearted attempts to change direction. We'll clear-cut South America, but at least there's no CFCs in my SUV's air conditioning!
I think it's more complicated than y'all're making it. Consider the metaphor of "in our talons": that is, humans are like birds of prey and the rest of the world is our quarry. But the irony is that there's nothing unnatural about what birds of prey do, and there's nothing unnatural about the way humans are treating their environment, either. What's unnatural, in fact, is the figurative imposition of human thoughts and emotions ("wondering," "they know they're drowning") on non-human species. But that's the rub: being "only human" means behaving like every other species on earth (working only for itself, without concern for others). It would actually be better if we were to be more than human (i.e., more than natural), and hold ourselves to some kind of environmental ethics. So, paradoxically, what "takes a lot of nerve" is to accept that the human takeover of the earth is just nature being nature after all.
Annnnnd you just blew my mind. Incredible interpretation.
Annnnnd you just blew my mind. Incredible interpretation.
After seeing a video (and hearing the better part of their third album) about Phil and Beth building a cabin in the woods with their own four hands, I would be inclined to think Meudwen's interpretation nailed it.. Your idea that there's nothing unnatural about humans destroying "this wondrous earth" is a fun thought, but you miss a critical difference between humans and other organisms, which is that humans are perhaps the only ones capable of projecting current conditions forward and predicting outcomes. A bird of prey probably wouldn't understand if it was eating its prey at a...
After seeing a video (and hearing the better part of their third album) about Phil and Beth building a cabin in the woods with their own four hands, I would be inclined to think Meudwen's interpretation nailed it.. Your idea that there's nothing unnatural about humans destroying "this wondrous earth" is a fun thought, but you miss a critical difference between humans and other organisms, which is that humans are perhaps the only ones capable of projecting current conditions forward and predicting outcomes. A bird of prey probably wouldn't understand if it was eating its prey at a rate that would cause it's kind to run out of food in a few generations. Humans are the only "cousin" that has that ability, and so it's reasonable to hold them to a higher standard. With large-scale alteration of the earth in our headlights, we make only the most half-hearted attempts to change direction. We'll clear-cut South America, but at least there's no CFCs in my SUV's air conditioning!