Nature's Way

Nature's Way Intro-ch2

1. How (according to Eagle Man, Ed McGaa) does "Dominant Society" view the natural world? What corrections does he say "Nature-respecting societies" offer? What kind of democracy is likeliest to "save the planet"?

2. Is sacred nature mythic or superstitious? Ideological? Supernatural?

3. What does it mean to become a "hollow bone"?

4. What is Wakan  Tanka, in contrast with the "white man's God"? Is it possible to construe  it and "Beyond World" (or "Spirit World") as parts of a benign, designed nature? Are there natural limits on the human capacity to understand "obvious mysteries"?

5. If "no one knows who God is," isn't "Great Spirit" talk presumptuous? Why does there seem to be no indigenous version of agnosticism? How can knowledge arise as a "revelation from ceremony"?

6. Do you think animals (like "my good friend the turtle") possess a compelling "spirit or force" that relates us to them? Is the variable manifestation or creation of Spirit in nature different from the relatedness of all species through evolution, or simply an alternative way of expressing it? Is the kindness and "tough love" of Creator just a florid way of acknowledging nature's self-sustaining indifference to human well-being? Is death's compassion more than a comforting illusion?

7. "We certainly cannot spin a spider's web..." But can't we, with the emerging science of biomimicry? (See the Michael Pawlyn TED Talk)

8. "Both ancient and modern [healing] wisdom have their place." Do you agree? Do you prefer herbal to synthetic remedies for illness? What's unnatural about western medicine? Is all effective medicine "spiritual" or ecological? Is "healing balance" scientific? Do you regard indigenous healing wisdom as "alternative"?

9. STUDENTS (or interested others): What additional questions would you like to pose from ch2? Use the comments section to share your suggestions.