Ecology and the Spirit
Deep ecology, environmentalism, and cultural values
Welcome to the study group, where we will be exploring and discussing resources on folk psychology and indigenized spirituality, with a focus on Philippine culture. This is a self-paced study.
Last week, the recommended resource discussed how we see ourselves as part of the natural world. As the philosopher Leonardo Mercado put it, matter and spirit are on a continuum. Our philosophy of the soul comes from our ancient tradition, wherein all material things have life and all spiritual things have tangible material dimensions.1
You may participate in that discussion here.
For today, we will look into how our beliefs about our place in the world influence how we treat the earth. We will look at more than one resource, so take your time in going through them. First we will look at the global context, and we will see how industrialization and colonialism are manifestations of our human compulsion to create our own limited sense of order. Second, we will look at how Filipino values can help us reassess our “modern” worldview and address real environmental issues.
Global Context
We humans have always seen ourselves as unique from every other living thing. We believed that we are special, protected creations of a benevolent divinity, and that our world is at the center of everything else. We believed that we are different from animals: we have rationality, while they only follow their primal instincts. That is why we were so affected by our three great humiliations. Nicolaus Copernicus said that the sun, not the earth, is at the center. Charles Darwin said that we are like animals in that we are all evolving and adapting to our environment. Sigmund Freud said that we are not always rational. In fact, we are still driven by our primal instincts, sex and aggression, just like animals. Does this mean that we are not special? Or does it mean that we have more in common with everything else than we initially thought?
Early discoveries in the field of science as well as rapid technological innovation made us think that we have properly measured and understood natural laws. We think that we’re like gods, able to master the elements and dominate the world. Yet we are so terrified of our individuality. We operate on the material world so much that we think that what we currently know is everything that needs to be known. We’re afraid of our own lonely mortality that we have to hoard resources to ensure our survival. To do so, we must compete, with each other and with entire nations. We colonize others as a way to hoard more resources (remember that one reason for colonization was to gain and control access to spices). We encouraged hoarding rather than sustainability so much so that entire animal species have gone extinct, and the planet is a few degrees from being unlivable. We’re not “destroying the earth.” The earth will keep existing, millions of years beyond us. We’re actually just destroying ourselves.
Remember that you are part of nature:
Filipino Context
You have two recommended readings for this topic. The first is Dr. Kristine Meneses’ Pakikipagkapwa: A Filipino Value in Attempt to Counter Biodiversity and Cultural Diversity Loss, which can be read here. The second is my own paper, Deep Ecology, Nature Spirits, and the Filipino Transpersonal Worldview, which can be read here. In my paper, I talked about the Kaliwa Dam, which cuts through the Sierra Madre mountain range, affecting local biodiversity and displacing indigenous people. Here is some more context:
Reflection Questions
When you are ready, you may use the comment section below as a discussion board for your answers. You are also encouraged to interact with the answers of others, to deepen your own insights on the topic.
After going through these resources, what struck you the most? It could be something that affected you emotionally, made you rethink your worldview, or affirmed something you already knew.
What environmental concern in the Philippines do you think needs the most attention? Or, what environmental issue in the Philippines is not currently being recognized as a potential problem? What are the efforts that are being done (or that are being proposed) to address the issue?
How can we apply Filipino cultural values (e.g. kapwa) and spirituality (e.g. belief in anito) inform our approach to caring for the environment?
Mercado, Leonardo N. “Soul and Spirit in Filipino Thought.” Philippine Studies 39, no. 3 (1991): 287-302.
1. Meneses' section III, particularly her descriptive etymology of kapwa [ka/puwa(ng)] resonated with me. As a 2nd generation Pilipina in the diaspora (Hawaii), the hidden meaning (we call it kaona in Hawaiian) in "kapwa" made me simultaneously feel excited and sad. Sad because I can't speak my mother language (but I can speak olelo Hawaii- Hawaiian!), but excited because articles like this make me feel like I'm rediscovering my roots and slowly and surely. I really appreciate all this sharing!
2. Having been born and raised in Hawaii, the struggle between the IP and progress/greed in the Kaliwa Dam situation is similar to land & water struggles here. I fear for the loss of more biodiversity and the Other in the Philippines due to tourism. I pray that places in the PI do not turn into the concrete jungles of Waikiki.
3. Learning forums like this help to inform like-minded Others of our shared struggles. Gently reminding one another of our spiritual roots is essential.
1. Firstly, I just want to say that I so very much appreciated the videos and the readings for this unit. Meneses' elaboration of both kapwa and pakikipagkapwa and how it captures deep inclusivity and respect for all beings, both human and non-human, is very inspiring. As a Filipinx-American, I am so proud that we, as culture, retain a both a knowledge and respect for our indigeneity as is reflected in our culture and in our languages. The authors argument for the importance of cultural diversity for biodiversity is compelling, especially in regards to indigenous knowledges.
Reading again about anitos and engkantos certainly affirmed what I already knew of Filipinx indigenous beliefs. Though we have many diverse creation myths, I am fond of creation myths in which human beings are birthed from nature, such as the myth of Malakas and Maganda born of bamboo. Also, one of Alan Watt's ideas, that we are all manifestations of nature/the universe observing and interacting with itself, are also ideas that I've come across.
2. I think one of the biggest environmental concerns that needs attention in the Philippines is greater protections for both indigenous groups and their land/natural resources - and greater protections for environmentalists and ecologists. It would help if government agencies recognized and prioritized the importance of protecting these groups and their land/natural resources, rather than prioritizing and protecting the interests of companies and landowners. At present, I don't know what efforts are being made to address this issue.
3. A greater recognition in Filipinx cultural values of kapwa and pakikipagkapwa and recognition and acknowledgement of indigenous knowledges throughout the Philippines and the diaspora would certainly help to make environmentalism and ecology more of a concern to all of us, if it isn't a concern already. I also really appreciated Meneses (and others) emphases on our connection with nature. We are not separate from nature/the natural world, though our post-modern way of life and late-stage capitalist systems would rather we not acknowledge our interdependence and interconnectedness.
I do have a question about the phrase "tabi tabi po." Because I do not yet know much Tagalog, I understand the phrase to mean something like "please excuse me" spoken in reverence of the nature spirits when passing through an area, like a forest, river, etc. When I look up the definition, "tabi" is defined as beside or aside and "tabi tabi" is also used as an adverb to mean "side by side." "Po" is used as a word for respect, like ma'am/sir, but is it not also the root for similar words like "apo" which can be used to mean either ancestor/elder or descendant? So could the phrase "tabi tabi po" also imply something like "pardon me ancestors/nature spirits, it's just me, your descendant passing through"?