Ecophilosopher Derrick Jensen reads his essay "Pretend You Are a River," where he intuits that rivers are not simply bodies of water, but an essence of the health of the ecosystem, and planet. He writes that rivers "are the veins of the Earth, carrying lifeblood to all parts of the body."Jensen begins by describing the beauty and complexity of rivers. He talks about the way they carve through the landscape, creating canyons and valleys and the way they support a diverse range of plant and animal life. He also writes about the spiritual significance of rivers to many cultures and at times sounds shamanic echoing traditional cultures of the world.
While there is beauty in rivers, Jensen acknowledges that rivers are under threat from human activity. He writes about the ways in which dams, pollution, and climate change are harming rivers and the ecosystems they support. He also talks about the way in which indigenous peoples, who have a deep connection to rivers, are being displaced from their traditional lands.
Jensen's essay is a call to action to protect rivers. He writes that we need to "learn to live in harmony with rivers" and that we need to "stop destroying them." He also argues that we need to challenge the systems of power that are responsible for the destruction of rivers, such as capitalism and imperialism. Jensen's essay is a powerful and moving piece of writing that is sure to resonate with anyone who cares about the environment. It is a must-read for anyone who wants to learn more about the importance of rivers and the threats they face.
Derrick Jensen is an American ecophilosopher, writer, author, teacher and environmentalist. Utne Reader named Jensen among "50 Visionaries Who Are Changing the World" in 2008, and Democracy Now! says that he "has been called the poet-philosopher of the ecology movement". His current book is Bright Green Lies (Monkfish Publishers) with co-authors Lierre Keith and Max Wilbert.
Layne Hartsell is a research professor at the Asia Institute in Berlin and Tokyo. His work is in Energy, Economy, and Environment (3E). He is a former research professor at the Center for Science, Technology, and Society, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok; Sookmyung Women’s University, Seoul; Sungkyunkwan University and Advanced Institute of Nanotechnology; and the University of Virginia Medical School. He is currently a member of the board at Korea IT Times.
