"I have always found it difficult to imagine this century without the life and work of Gary Snyder. After reading this collection of essays, I now find it impossible." --Wes Jackson (back cover)
This Practice of the Wild is a gift. The depth of Gary Snyder's insight into the modern mind, as presented in this book, should not be underestimated. If you want to read something that will profoundly alter your understanding of Nature and the Wild, and our relationship to it, then this is it. Gary Snyder is a trail blazer, fluidly and fluently pointing us towards our every-day experiences and locality as the basis for any change. This collection of essays (first published in 1990) should be considered as a central piece for anyone interested in the human/earth relationship (which should be everyone--because we're all humans inhabiting the earth). It is practical ecology (thus the 'Practice of the Wild') in motion, rooted not just in articulated intelligence, but in the wider sphere of daily, living experience.
This is a book about re-thinking and re-defining. In his down-to-earth manner, Gary Snyder questions many of our traditional Western interpretations and pre-conceptions about nature, freedom, goodness, language, ethics, individual rights and culture. Although erudite (Snyder tackles a wide-variety of topics with competence), the book's tone is personal and draws the reader in, filled with story-telling and good-natured humor. At the same time, Gary Snyder does not mince words or use vague language--his essays are full of "straight talk".
The Wild is, as the title suggests, the main topic under discussion--the book abounding in lyrical explanations on natural habitats, wildlife, ecosystems and the "Practice of the Wild"--as in, how the Wild acts, behaves, lives, walks--speaks to us, if we listen. None of these explanations (for me anyway) are tedious or distracting--Snyder's presentation is fresh, full of the senses and most of all, told like a good story. Poetry flows throughout. He also draws heavily from his intimate study of Native American, Japanese and Chinese culture (and thus also Buddhism, Daoism, Shintoism and native spiritualities--and there is an interesting parallel he draws between wild nature and the Dao. This book is far from boring!
"The Practice of the Wild is an exquisite, far-sighted articulation of what freedom, wildness, goodness, and grace mean, using the lessons of the planet to teach us how to live." --Gretel Ehrlich (front cover)
There are a total of nine essays gathered here, not including the excellent bibliography.
The first essay, "The Etiquette of Freedom" is probably Gary Snyder's best known essay--and it's easy to see why it's become the foundation for many current ecological discussions. In clear, careful language, Gary Snyder unravels the iconic American idea of "wild and free"; examining the connotations of words like "Nature", "Unnatural", "Wild", "Wilderness"reveals a number of our unconscious biases and ideologies. For example, he explains that "Nature" is usually confused with "Wild, that Nature is not just growing, living things or virgin land as most people understand it, but the whole universe, including things that we usually consider "unnatural" like man-made products. By examining our understandings of these words, Gary Snyder then elucidates on the true meaning of freedom, in context of an eco-system, and the ethical implications this has for us today in our relationships with humans, animals, trees, plants, rivers, rocks, watersheds, bio-regions--the entire earth.
"The Place, the Region, and the Commons" is an examination of our world, not as disembodied space, but interconnected places together in one place, planet Earth. Integral to the idea of places and regions, is a deeper understanding of earth as "common land"--as something shared amongst multiple beings and modes of being, not just human beings, but bird beings, tree beings, rock beings, ant beings, etc. This elucidates further on Snyder's ideas about freedom, ethics and etiquette presented in the previous essay. He also discusses bio-regions in terms of living organisms, illustrating how awareness of your environment, your bio-region is more than just "knowing" but also participatory.
"Tawny Grammar" is a good illustration of how Gary Snyder interweaves personal anecdotes and experiences with thought-provoking analysis of universal concerns and issues. Here he discusses stories and language, not just in human terms, but in connection to "Nature's writing". He coins the term the "ecology of language", and sums this phrase up in, "The grammar not only of language, but of culture and civilization itself, is of the same order as this mossy little forest creek, this desert cobble."
"Good, Wild, Sacred" follows a similar vein to "The Etiquette of Freedom", but this time ventures into the domain of showing how inherently similar "good", "wild" and "sacred" are--and how impossible it is to truly separate these terms from one another. Snyder also talks about cultural conditioning and how our only-human, utilitarian bias prevents us from fully inhabiting the world around us.
"Blue Mountains, Constantly Walking" takes a different turn from the previous essays. Here, Gary Snyder uses the works of Dogen (Japanese Zen Buddhist) to illustrate the essential nature of Nature and the Wild. Mountains are, as the title suggests, the lead theme here (inspired by Dogen) as metaphors for the eternal living essence and presence of existence--encompassing ALL things--but not in some metaphysical sense, in the literal, chemical, biological, historical, geological, physical, experiential, phenomenological sense. A brilliant essay for understanding non-dualism in a fresh, participatory way.
In "Ancient Forests of the Far West", Snyder reflects on his younger years working in forestry and logging, and the insights this brought--using this as a way into contrasting the industrial world versus the Wild. As part of this, he champions trees and their incomparable importance in earth life as we know it. You also get a taste for his Pulitzer Prize-winning poetry (which is far from "romantic" as most "nature" poetry is -- "gritty" comes to mind instead!).
"On the Path, Off the Trail", a short but powerful essay, is a re-evaluation of work and the "practice" side of "The Practice of the Wild". Instead of viewing work as a way of earning money to consume more (industrial consumerism)--Gary Snyder turns to the metaphors of paths and the Way (Dao) to better understand the place of work, especially in connection to the Wild. He emphasizes true work as simultaneously creative and ordinary--and he asserts that Life itself is a "work", like a work of art; every living thing is an artist, contributing to the "art of life" both individually and collectively. As Dogen said, "Practice is the path."
"The Woman Who Married A Bear" is a marvelous retelling of a Native American oral tale. This essay contains the re-told story (by Snyder of course), then an analysis of the story (just in case you were baffled before), followed by a bit of natural history in regards to bears, berries, and the role story plays in our lives. This is a powerful mythic example of when Wild and "human" come together.
"Survival and Sacrament" is the final essay in The Practice of the Wild. Here, Gary Snyder closes on a compelling note -- how will we live the "practice of the Wild" in our own lives? Acknowledging that culture is not just a solely human experience, he encourages us to participate in the wider, more-than-human wild culture--and to do so with an awe, gratitude and humility at the sacred trust given to us -- Life itself.
Overall, The Practice of the Wild evokes the responses of wonder and responsibility at the preciousness, the fragility, the beauty and stark reality of the universe and our planet. Gary Snyder pushes us to see past our blind spots, past our cultural illusions, to peel back the delusions we have inherited and engage, naked, with our lives and the Nature within and without like never before. We are reminded that our true place, our ultimate home is not a house or human dwelling, but the universe itself.
Publisher: Counterpoint Press; originally published by North Point Press, San Francisco
ISBN Number: 1-59376-016-7
Publication Date: 1990, 2004
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