Biophilia and Biophobia: What We Need to Realize

http://elcr.org/rural-sprawl/

            David Orr believes that we humans are in great need of a biophilia revolution soon so that we do not lose nature and the wonder of it. It is necessary that we “transform how and how rapidly we use the earth’s endowment of land, minerals, water, air, wildlife and fuels” (Orr 203). Our society has been increasingly transforming and moving towards one that is completely technology driven and material-based. The increase has been even more rapid in the last 20 years, and we really need to start conserving more and using less. Rural areas are becoming few. Technology controls and drives are every day lives. Society has transformed as well as progressed but this progression has come at quite a cost for nature and communities alike. Social networks and sites have replaced the old fashioned communication of simply talking to one another face to face. All we seem to do nowadays is call, text, instant message, email and so much more. We selfishly use too many of earth’s limited resources for our own benefit. Urban sprawl has turned open areas of land and natural habitats into buildings, schools, houses, and shopping centers. Pretty soon there might not be much land or natural resources left to sustain the life that we have become to see as the norm. 

http://pointofview.bluehighways.com/archives/000063.html

http://peithoparenting.com/playing-outside-could-make-kids-more-spiritual/

 

Children, the most innocent and adventurous ones of our culture, have been consumed by the wonders of technology rather than the wonders of nature. This will cause a cycle of human life where nature is left by the wayside. Children increasingly choose to stay inside and play video games rather than running around outside. Christmas lists consist of the newest up to date technology instead of baseball mitts or footballs. To fix this fast trend of materialistic cravings, an “efficiency revolution that buys us some time” is needed as well as a sufficiency revolution that “transforms our ideas of what it means to live decently and how little is actually necessary for a decent life” (Orr 203). However, this revolution does not need to completely destroy the way life is lived currently. People have developed an “aversion to nature” (Orr 186) and dwell in and among their own creations more than any of the past generations. While some simply have discomfort in nature, others have “active scorn” concerning it; however, anywhere in this range, biophobia is present (Orr 187). It is easy in today’s world to be biophobic because it has almost become a built in instinct. 

 

http://begorok.com/wp-content/uploads/1_websites_for_kids_to_play_games.bmp

 

Technology has not only changed the way the world is run but also the way children are raised. Orr even goes as far to say that a “technological tyranny [is] now looming on the horizon” (Orr 192), and we do not see anything wrong with this because we are comfortable with what is familiar. As a society, it is necessary that we remember our sense of biophilia and love for nature. Orr believes that “people can lose the sense of biophilia” (Orr 196). I simply believe that we forget how much we love nature, but the sense always remains in us. It just gets buried under our need to conform and fit in with whatever the newest trend in the world is. The sense is not lost; it is just temporarily forgotten with the fast pace and many stresses of life. Furthermore, it is dramatic to say, “we must finally choose between life and death, between intimacy and isolation” (Orr 198). By saying this, Orr means we need to choose between nature and continuing life as it is now. I do not think that life now constitutes death or isolation. There are many aspects of life today that are intimate. For example, with faster transportation, you can easily visit relatives in other parts of the country, travel to places, and have access to many experiences with nature that would have been impossible before. A change is needed for society to remember to love and care for nature; however, the current way of life should not be shunned or abandoned completely.