Mueller Lake Park Outdoor Amphitheater
Sustainable Cultures Survive
RECEIVED Thu., Nov. 3, 2005
Mr. Michael Ventura,
There are people still scattered over this planet who won't even notice the collapse you're talking about [“Letters @ 3am,” Oct. 28]. At least not in the way we will notice. Aside from being left alone once again, they will continue as they have since the beginning of human history. Civilization failed to notice them except the missionaries, and when we decide they have land that we want. Although more and more often people these days are taking notice, and not just cultural anthropologists. I'm not talking about the noble savage; they're neither. What they are is a way of life that has survived far longer than ours, and will, so long as we don't completely wipe them out. And when things get bad enough, perhaps we will look to them for help once again like we did when we first arrived in the New World. When we decide we want to survive, we have examples, all over the world. We don't have to reinvent the wheel. In the words of Daniel Quinn, “We are not humanity.” We are one of the thousands of cultures that exist or have existed on this planet. Ours, unfortunately for us, flies in the face of sustainability at every turn. Keep up the excellent writing; I've truly enjoyed it. Thanks for your time.
There are people still scattered over this planet who won't even notice the collapse you're talking about [“Letters @ 3am,” Oct. 28]. At least not in the way we will notice. Aside from being left alone once again, they will continue as they have since the beginning of human history. Civilization failed to notice them except the missionaries, and when we decide they have land that we want. Although more and more often people these days are taking notice, and not just cultural anthropologists. I'm not talking about the noble savage; they're neither. What they are is a way of life that has survived far longer than ours, and will, so long as we don't completely wipe them out. And when things get bad enough, perhaps we will look to them for help once again like we did when we first arrived in the New World. When we decide we want to survive, we have examples, all over the world. We don't have to reinvent the wheel. In the words of Daniel Quinn, “We are not humanity.” We are one of the thousands of cultures that exist or have existed on this planet. Ours, unfortunately for us, flies in the face of sustainability at every turn. Keep up the excellent writing; I've truly enjoyed it. Thanks for your time.
Ryan Cook
