The Abstration of the Environment

As part of our intelligent curriculum, Silent River Kung Fu students engage to raise awareness and funding for several initiatives and charities. It is a challenge to keep the purpose of our intelligent curriculum about that engagement and not allow it to be reduced to just a matter of writing a cheque.

Poverty, addiction, depression, extinction, pollution, starvation — these tend to be abstract concepts for many of us. There is a significant difference between knowledge and experience, but not even first hand experience will guarantee a society the clarity and resolve required to address a problem, even a catastrophic one, right in front of them. Over half of the world’s insects have disappeared in the past few years. Where are the bees? Pine beetles are destroying our forests. Fish are disappearing from the ocean. The coral reefs are dying off. Polar bears are starving. Forest fires and wild fires are the new norm, as are catastrophic hurricanes and storms. These are facts. Unfortunately, they are abstract facts. The consequence of these facts is not being directly felt by most of us. Yeah, the food supply is disappearing but I can still get my Big Mac and fries as easily as ever. Less insects? Maybe I can finally enjoy a summer without being eaten alive by mosquitoes.

It does not seem likely that we are going to be proactive about reducing our society’s impact on our planet. Yes, I know, for many global warming is not being caused by man. Why would deniers slow down their consumption and exploitation if it is not going to make any difference to future generations anyway? The polarization of our society on that front alone is disconcerting. If we are going to make a difference as a species, the environment cannot remain an abstraction. So what now?

I spent some of my weekend frolicking with wolves at the Northern Lights Wolf Centre in Golden, BC. It is unlikely the environment will remain an abstraction for anyone after spending time with Shelley and Casey Black. Passion cuts through barriers and these two are passionate about wolves and their role as a keystone species. The facts are there for anyone who wishes to see them. Yellowstone Park’s ecological revitalization after the reintroduction of wolves into the park cannot be refuted. Even armed with those facts, our society continues to ignore the keystone roll that wolves play in securing our future.

Take a trip to the Northern Lights Wolf Centre. I guarantee the plight of wolves will no longer be an abstraction after you have had a full grown grey wolf stand on your head. Environmental awareness is self defence. Arm yourself by educating yourself.

“Every creature is better alive than dead, men and moose and pine trees, and he who understands it alright would rather preserve its life than destroy it.” - Henry David Thoreau (1817 - 1862)