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Dear Reader, It's Tuesday and we're asking one last time, What do you think? We hope you've enjoyed these environmental perspectives for the past six weeks. Have you ordered your Gather Round toolkit, yet? If you haven't yet registered for one (or all!) of the outdoor and online events, don't miss out. The people leading those conversations are truly wonderful humans who think deeply about place and belonging. You'll want to be part of it. |
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It seems silly to say—hasn’t this been said? Isn’t it obvious?—but we are all connected, and fleeting, and small, and yet our collective impact is thunderous. Every breath we take is part of a reciprocal relationship with all other life on Earth. For our final essay, we asked Marisa Diaz-Waian to reflect on the nature preserve she calls home. She serves on the Academic Advisory Board and chairs the Education Committee for PLATO, and is the founder and director of Merlin CCC, a public philosophy nonprofit in Helena. She has a special interest in ethics, ancient philosophy, existentialism, humor, and “fuzzy” topics at the intersection of philosophy and psychology. Her work focuses on philosophy in the community, frequently with an interdisciplinary, environmental, and inter-generational bent.
Sincerely,
Sam Dwyer
Humanities Montana |
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Environmental Humanities Perspective |
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by Marisa Diaz-Waian Jack Turner said we only protect what we love and we only love what we know. This kind of “knowing” doesn’t come solely from books, but from praxis. It comes from showing up, day in and out. Of remaining open and vulnerable. Of paying deep attention to the world around us. |
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I was introduced to Montana in the 1980s. After the fires at Yellowstone, my poppa, an ecologist and biologist, came to help with habitat restoration. I was ten and tagged along, curious. I grew up in the ocean; here, the smells, sights, and sounds were new. I was in awe. After grad school, I moved to Helena to take on a stewardship role at Merlin Nature Preserve in honor of my late father who helped establish this 160-acre wildlife refuge nestled within 1,150 acres of preserve habitat. I’ve lived here for 12 years now. Getting to know the land has been like getting to know a friend. The skies invite and I follow, wandering into the great wide open. I now know her quirks and patterns, the sounds she makes when she is filled with laughter, and her countenance when she feels sorrow. I have gotten to know my neighbors—the bobcat and family of foxes, the black bears and wolf, and the myriad birds. In some powerful way, we see each other. There is a kind of poetry in which we all partake. This intimacy lends itself to philosophical questions. What does it mean to be a good friend – to the land, to others, to oneself? How do we best serve others? What beauty do friendships bring about and help us see? On days when Merlin, the public philosophy non-profit I run, holds walks or workshops on the preserve, we explore these questions. To feel at home in this way is to acknowledge that we are always living in relation to, no matter where we are. I am reminded of why Montana has become my home. How this girl who swam in the ocean before she walked, found the ocean in the skies. |
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Request your own (free) Gather Round toolkit. You’ll receive a collection of poetry, a DIY humanities guide, and more delivered to your door. For the next six weeks we’ll share quotes from the anthology, prompts, and suggestions to encourage do-it-yourself humanities at home—have a conversation with the people you are closest to and reply to this email to share your thoughts with us. |
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Sign up for a gathering online or outdoors this summer. We have an impressive slate of poets and storytellers who will lead incredible, thought-provoking humanities experiences. Join conversations about contemporary Native American poetry. Head outdoors to learn about and connect with significant Blackfeet and Métis places. Explore your own connections to place. |
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Thank you for being a part of Humanities Montana’s journey and for letting us be a part of yours. You play an essential part in helping navigate what it means to learn, share, and grow. Please consider a gift to support us further in bringing relevant humanities content to Montana’s communities and responding to our state’s evolving needs. |
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If you like our Digital and DIY Humanities content, share the link to subscribe on social media or forward it to a friend. |
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