Ecology Religion

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The reason why this book was written is the genuine concern for the future of humanity and the planet. Though the title is Ecology Religion, it is no way a book about religion in the sense of rituals, churches or temples, dogmas or propagating religious systems. Nor is it even in the remotest sense aimed at creating some new religion - which would probably only lead to increase in the mental and emotional chaos and confusion in which we already have to live in our days.

When we use the term 'religion' in connection with ecology we mean to express that, apart from an academic, mental side, there is also a heart-side to our relation and oneness with the living environment. Apart from the rational factors of our scientific approaches we feel emotional and devotional respect for the beauty, apparent intelligence and intricate complexities of Nature. In undisturbed natural environments we can experience feelings which we label as 'harmony', holiness 'feeling of oneness' or of a 'greater wholeness' - or simply amazement about the universe in which we live. The beauty, the spirit and the complexity of Nature has the power to evoke humility in many of us. Some people may experience a wide variety and specific emotions in natural environments that they do not perceive in the noisy places where humans normally move, and these sensations may be very detailed also.

We are not jumping to any religious conclusion, like proposing or defending a creator or intelligent designer behind or inside Nature. We also do not depart from preconceived ideas about a beginning or an end of the universe, or of life, a creation or a big bang. We leave life and consciousness open-ended on both sides of time.

Ecology is the togetherness of all living beings and their environment. Ecology can be seen from be local viewpoint, but also be seen as global or a universal togetherness. It is a science, and this science is very essential in our modern world. Scientists have to understand the balancing, the stabilities and vulnerabilities of specific ecosystems. They have to make decisions about the so-called 'nature-value' of specific landscapes in terms of biodiversity, rarity, the presence of threatened species of animals or plants or landscape types, and the buffer functions for pockets of human inhabitation. One cannot make sound decisions on policies and selection of nature reserves or buffer zones and so on without detailed investigation and research. It is an activity of keen perception and an intelligent mind. Decisions made on the basis of emotions alone will often not hold in the long term.

All human beings, all who have gone through some spiritual evolution, if not too much hardened by the materialism of their education, have genuine feelings of awe and wonder when they wander around in pristine nature. In our times the subtler emotions and a religious awareness that there is something that is still far above the understanding of the brain-mind are awakening. There may be things we have never been aware of; and there are things that may always remain beyond the capacities of the brain-mind. There is an intuitive awareness that there might be a purpose or deeper meaning in the things of life, or that their might be a higher awareness than we encounter in our gross civilized life. In main stream society such intuitions are often suppressed or even despised. The idea, for example, that there might be a higher level of conscious organization in the amazing functioning of our planet that is responsible for its continued balanced continuation and evolution during millions of year is something that still cannot be openly talked about in scientific circles. On the other hand, people who wish to follow their subtler emotions and even what they think are their genuine intuitions, may find no guidance. The result is that many people jump to religious dogmas of which the original meaning has long been forgotten and cling to them like grim death. Thus, against all odds, people cling to crazy suppositions as that an external 'God' created the world within a week and moreover creates every human or other soul out of nothing just before every new birth. Such people forget that the dogmas they cling to usually belong to only one particular culture (in this case the Christian in a particular interpretation) and are not found anywhere else on the planet. So such ideas are not universal. They are distortion of the original meaning of things. Universal truths can, even when encapsulated in some outer form or teaching, always be recognized by people whenever wherever.

Some people may unite in fanatic groups, including for example well-intending environmental groups who base their view on a mixture of half understood facts of science, religious feelings and also on the fear that 'everything may go wrong.' Ignorance combined with fear is a bad advisor if we wish a happier and wiser humanity and civilization in the future.

Born and educated in the Netherlands, the author studied Biology and Chemistry and specialized on tropical ecology and nature preservation. He worked for a Working Group for the Preservation of Tropical Rainforests in Amsterdam. He became interested in what is the cause of the human attitude that leads to destruction and deprivation of Nature, because that is the core and source of the problems the modern world faces today. He began to study the philosophy of a number of non-western cultures, especially with regard to fundamental viewpoints: linearity versus cyclicity, chance versus causality, evanescence versus eternity of life, the source of consciousness, non-living versus living Nature, and internal (spiritual) evolution and its relation with external evolution. He spend many years in India studying Jainism and other Indian thought systems as well as aspects of the western esoteric tradition. Many of his writings can be found through Google. **Contents and Sample Pages**