If you wanted to listen to the ocean, what would you do? Would you sit on a rocky headland while waves crashed and thundered their slow beat far below?
If you wanted to delight in the ocean, what would you do? Would you float on gorgeous, green, rolling waves while a pod of dolphins leaped past you, their easy grace and beauty making you laugh out loud?
If you wanted to honor the ocean, what would you do? Would you gather smooth-worn stones, bits of dune grass, and pink-tinged broken shells? Would you pile sea foam on your head, adorn your arms with strands of kelp, and present your gifts to the sea, bowing low and smelling the salty, damp sand?
Kathleen Dean Moore reminds us to celebrate, love, honor, and listen to the ocean—and the lake, river, meadow, forest, and desert. She calls us to notice the birds, feel the sea spray on our face, and delight in the wind and waves. Ultimately, Moore tells us, it is our love and abiding gratitude for the Earth as our home—more than facts and figures, more than scientific results and policy papers—that is the best prospect for preserving it.
An environmental philosopher and writer at Oregon State University, Moore draws on natural science and moral imperative to show us how, with courage and humility, we might “find the moral ground for living on Earth respectfully, responsibly, and joyously.”” We eagerly look forward to her visit to Gustavus in October for Nobel Conference 48: “Our Global Ocean.”
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