it’s not an easy one to answer--
it’s enough to sink your heart. A sense of personal virtue; let’s say turn my life upside down plant, turn down, forsake, trade in, get off, go completely local. halfway around the world my footprint, my most debilitating weakness what exactly would I have to show for all my trouble? a sense of personal virtue? What good is becoming... a term of derision. a mark of liberal soft headedness. a handful of studies; have recently suggested even if-- shift, emit, consume, one of the absurdities of the modern division-- indirect but related nevertheless. the way we feed ourselves, we forget-- each of us is responsible. dependence and dividedness have you looked into the eyes? they make you wonder, it will be too little too late. it’s a bet. create a tiny space e x p a n d e d t o t a k e i n to live on this earth as if forever! but there are sweeter reasons to plan and plant: the sun still shines! gardens provide! still more valuable habits of mind plan and plant: growing, walking. if we bother to try.
0 Comments
Over the past few rehearsals, the dancers and I have created poems based on an article published in the New York Times by Michael Pollan (author Second Nature, The Botany of Desire, The Omnivore's Dilemma), titled "Why Bother?" This article appears in the book Hope Beneath Our Feet: Restoring Our Place in the Natural World, a collection of essays edited by Martin J. Keogh which has inspired me greatly.
Funnily enough, I found the book during my summer research at the Earthdance retreat. It was the only copy (signed too!) among kneepads, granola bars, and books on somatic practices at the little store near the office. Perhaps this was one of the most important, and serendipitous discoveries in my research because it made me realize what I had been really asking myself for the past year. Keogh asks, “If we face a time of environmental crisis, how do we live right now?” This question is fundamental to my thesis project because it asks not what organizations are doing, or what governments should be doing, but instead prompts people to re-examine how they live their lives. The collection offers answers from the most the most cynical to the most hopeful, but the stories are intriguing either way because they appeal to the individual. Through this dance, I'm attempting to answer this question--somewhat selfishly--for myself. How do I live right now? How can I make dances that align with my values and what I want of my life? I had forgotten about the article. Until a few weeks ago when I re-read it and had one of those "aha!" moments. I had digressed so much. I had been trying to force something that wasn't there. Yes, dance is abstract and poetic, and maybe that's what this dance needs to do. Acknowledge what it can do and do that well. It's winter. Still, I return to walking and gardening. During the summer and last semester I kept a process journal on jux.com. Unfortunately, the company abruptly shut down, and I was unable to recover my content. I can't say how disappointing it was! Especially considering that I did not do any backups. (I know shame on me...but I couldn't have predicted this happening so suddenly). Even so, I came to the conclusion that it is all alright. The incident reflects some of the ideas and themes I've been exploring especially conservation and loss. What happens when we lose something we care about? Loss is something we are having to deal with when it comes to the environmental crisis--loss of habitat, loss of natural resources, loss of species...
I am reminded that loss (and then renewal) are all part of nature. What is important is to learn from that loss. To accept what cannot be changed, and keep going forward with wisdom. So here I am, adapting... Let's try this again. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |