Scientific evidence has made it abundantly clear that the world's
population can no longer continue its present rate of consuming and
despoiling the planet's limited natural resources. Scholars, activists,
politicians, and citizens worldwide are promoting the idea of
sustainability, or systems and practices of living that allow a
community to maintain itself indefinitely. Despite increased interest in
sustainability, its popularity alone is insufficient to shift our
culture and society toward more stable practices. Gary Holthaus argues
that sustainability is achievable but is less a set of practices than
the result of a healthy worldview. Learning Native Wisdom: Reflections
on Subsistence, Sustainability, and Spirituality examines several
facets of societies -- cultural, economic, agricultural, and political
-- seeking insights into the ability of some societies to remain vibrant
for thousands of years, even in extremely adverse conditions and
climates. Holthaus looks to Eskimo and other Native American peoples of
Alaska for the practical wisdom behind this way of living. Learning
Native Wisdom explains why achieving a sustainable culture is more
important than any other challenge we face today. Although there are
many measures of a society's progress, Holthaus warns that only a shift
away from our current culture of short-term abundance, founded on a
belief in infinite economic growth, will represent true advancement. In
societies that value the longevity of people, culture, and the
environment, subsistence and spirituality soon become closely allied
with sustainability.Holthaus highlights the importance of language as a
reflection of shared cultural values, and he shows how our understanding
of the very word subsistence illustrates his argument. In a culture of
abundance, the term implies deprivation and insecurity. However, as
Holthaus reminds us, "All cultures are subsistence cultures." Our
post-Enlightenment consumer-based societies obscure or even deny our
absolute dependence on soil, air, sunlight, and water for survival. This
book identifies spirituality as a key component of meaningful cultural
change, a concept that Holthaus defines as the recognition of the
invisible connections between people, their neighbors, and their
surroundings. For generations, native cultures celebrated and revered
these connections, fostering a respect for past, present, and future
generations and for the earth itself.Ultimately, Holthaus illustrates
how spirituality and the concept of subsistence can act as powerful
guiding forces on the path to global sustainability. He examines the
perceptions of cultures far more successful at long-term survival than
our own and describes how we might use their wisdom to overcome the
sustainability crisis currently facing humanity.
