Leopold's 'land ethic' sought to define a relationship between people and nature. It was, by most accounts, the foundation for a modern conservation movement. One of the achievements of the 'land ethic' was to include nature, i.e. soil, water, plants, and animals, as part of the larger community or what Leopold collectively referred to as "land". As I mentioned in previous posts, he felt strongly that people needed to have a close personal connection to the land, because as he notes:
"We can be ethical only in relation to something we can see, feel, understand, love, or otherwise have faith in."
I couldn't agree more and that's why I have such grave concern for the lack of nature in our lives. I see a direct connection between the United States becoming the most obese nation in the world and our lack of connectivity to the land. We need to get out more, we need to understand where our food comes from, and above all we need to reconnect to the land, which after all is God's creation. Because of our lost connections to the land we are physically over weight and spiritually deficient.
Peace,
Jeff
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