Humanity is exalted not because we are so far above other living creatures, but because knowing them well elevates the very concept of life. E.O. Wilson, 1984

12 Jul 2011

A Meditation on Mastery

The Poisonwood Bible by Barbra Kingsolver describes the fate of an evangelical Baptist family who undertake a mission to the Belgian Congo during the late 1950s. It is my favourite novel, beautifully written, set during a tumultuous time, with fascinating characters and a poignant message. Time and time again, Kingsolver draws parallels between the failure of the missionaries to change local practice with the failure of humanity to dominate the eternal force of nature.


Soon after arriving in the Congo, Father Nathan Price and his daughter Leah attempt to cultivate the American staples of squash, pumpkin, and Alabama wonder bean, to illustrate the successes of western agriculture to the ‘natives’. One night, Mama Tataba, the hired help, piles mounds of soil over the newly sowed seeds. In a rage, Father Price hastily re-sows his seeds as before (in doing so injuring himself on the Bangala or Poisonwood Tree, forewarned by Mama Tataba). At first, the fertile soils spurs on the growth of the vegetables, much to the glee of Farther Price, who eulogises on the ways of the Lord which the native “tribes of Ham” are ignorant. And yet, “like a plague” the wet season rains arrive soon flooding the plot and wiping out the crops. It unfolds that the mounds built by Mama Tataba would have funnelled off the excess water and saved the seedlings.

The idea of Ownership and Mastery of nature is a concept crystallised by religious belief:  “And God said unto men, be fruitful and multiply, and replenish the earth and subdue it, and have dominion over the Fish of the sea, and the Fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth on the Earth” Genesis 1:28. This belief of mastery is thoroughly shattered though, when we are confronted with the true force of nature and its disregard for the obstacle of humankind.

After the Green Revolution of the 1960s, huge gains in crops were obtained by the industrialisation of agriculture. The application of increasingly artificial fertilisers bolstered yields whilst insecticides all but illiminated pests. It appeared for a brief while that humanity would soon escape the shackles of hunger enforced by the balance of the biosphere. Soon however, it became obvious that human ignorance of the nature of nature meant that we failed to foresee the consequential pollution of both landscapes and human health. Rachel Carlson’s seminal book “Silent Spring” was the catalyst for a new movement away from our place as a detached master to an integral force within the continuum of nature. 

The Green / Eco Wave which has infiltrated our contemporary political landscape and continues to influence policy can only be a good thing. But in my opinion we must be careful that the pendulum of human consciousness does not swing too far in the other direction. For nature continues to act as both a mother and a menace, and the naive viewpoint that progress in the field of agro-sciences should be abandoned in favour of ‘traditional’ organic farming fails to address the needs of an increasing human population. Until our growth in numbers is stemmed, we must ensure that our relationship with the natural world is considerate of its long term implications for our survival later on. We must abandon the idea of mastery, but cling to the notion of adaptation.

1 comment:

  1. I am reaching the end of the book, and this particular passage struck me as pertinent. In the conclusion, Adah Price reflects: "In the world, the carrying capacity for humans is limited. History holds all things in the balance, including large hopes and short lives. Overpopulation has deforested three quarters of Africa, yielding famine, drought, and the probable extinction all animals most loved by children and zoos. Yet no other continent has experienced such a mix human theivery and human good will."

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