environmental crisis (2)

I have recently come across the notion of "ecophobia" thanks to Barbara passing on a popular magazine article. The more I looked into what "ecophobia" meant, the more complex my research got and it stirred up many things of interest to me and my work on fear and fearlessness--and, the philosophy of fearism. I have attached the Technical Paper 66 I just wrote: "Why Ecocriticism Now?: Pathways to the Eco-Fear-Problem and Ecophobia."

 

R. Michael Fisher

Technical Paper No. 66

Abstract – The very recent discovery by the author of the field of postmodern “ecocriticism” within literary criticism, is a welcomed avenue for creative growth. It offers a site of critical reflection upon the authors’ own research and teaching trajectory to define the Fear Problem over the past 28 years. This paper has two main objectives: (1) to outline a series of five technical papers on ecocriticism, of which No. 66 is the first introductory work and, (2) to inquire into the what, who, why of “ecocriticism” as it is portrayed in literary criticism, emphasizing a two-way (or split) in the thinking about its nature and function, especially in regard to the concept of “ecophobia” (i.e., via David Sobel contra Simon Estok). The author is particularly aligned with Estok’s general direction of thinking to the point of reconceptualizing the Fear Problem within the immanent crises of a tragic global future called the Anthropocene era, as meta-context. With this influence, focus shifts to articulating the Eco-Fear Problem. Implications lead the author to an eventual invoking of a new branch of Subba’s philosophy of fearism field of study to what Fisher is calling eco-philosophy of fearism. Overall, throughout this series of technical papers, and beyond, the author desires to add a rich set of layering and lenses to bring into the field of ecocriticism, to enable a mutual cross-fertilization with the richness of ecocriticism and in particular Estok’s “Ecophobia Hypothesis.”  

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ECOFEMINISM response to the cascading "extinction" crises now and coming... is a bit of a different angle on the eco-fear problem, and that is that women may generally prefer to work on eco-grief... so I included the work here of Heidi Hunter as someone to read, watch her video and find guidance from through these times--along with the more masculine approaches (like my paper above)... http://www.heidihutner.com/ecofeminism-mothering/2015/11/29/eco-grief-and-ecofeminism

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It's Spring: Meditate on Not This

It's Spring (March 21, 2016) in the illusion of linear marked-out "time" as we commonly evaluate qualitative reality--fine, but meditate not on this, or that, or this, or that, unless you know what you are meditating on and for what purpose in terms of liberation, toward a fearlessness way. That is not an order, because for it to be so would mean I am bossing you around, and you have not hired me to boss you around. Thank goodness. 

It's Springing outward in great leaf-green forces... and I meditate with people like Thich Nhat Hanh (the Buddhist teacher today in North America)-- with people like David Suzuki (who is listening to Hanh), in this great little 6 min. video--- love it!  http://ralphmetznerblog.com/2015/04/24/thich-nhat-hanh/

Michael, I ask you what is meditation? And I don't know what you are talking about. 

Thich Nhat Hanh defines it in this little video on "despair" and the environmental condition and the environmental movement today (e.g., the climate change crisis, or "wicked problem" as Wilber calls it)... "Mediation, means to look deeply." [I would tend to call that "contemplation" but sure, I'm fine with "meditation" if the man says so]... 

It's Sprung... that the truth we have to face as in all possibilities of Truth, now and whenever... that's a wonderful existential occasion for potency in the path of fearlessness when we come to the "gate" (threshold) between first-tier and second-tier (using Spiral Dynamics integral theory)... when, "hope" and "despair" are seen as two sides of the same coin... clearly, Hanh is meeting these environmentalists in a way they don't like to be met-- he's calling out their fear/despair ... and does so by asking us to meditate on the total (or near) destruction of this civilization which I see is not about "doing" (just listen to see how Suzuki is so concerned about us become "passive")--- here is, my friends, the conflict in East and West-- a conflict that the West has constructed between "doing" (its favorite) and "being" (it's nemesis)-- harken, and echoing, I hear Erich Fromm... and so many ... 

Watch the video... meditate. 

Happy Spring!

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