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Nature, Nurture And The French
In Western culture, we behave as though all of nature is ours to subjugate at our will — after all, in the first book of the Bible, humans were given dominion over every creature on the planet. Indigenous cultures, on the other hand, still live in harmony with animals. Mesoamerican societies, for example, worshiped the winged serpent Quetzalcoatl, a god who was master of the winds and the sky, and the protector of his people. Mankind has a great deal to learn from animals, which is why it’s important we learn how to observe them in detail…
Notice how each animal or insect continues to survive and thrive around you. If we can tap into the instincts of the animals around us, we too can learn the benefits of the instincts that allow them to thrive.
— Alberto Villoldo
As I went back and forth between the U.S. and Europe, I puzzled over how much more the Europeans disciplined nature than Americans do. I objected to the custom of severely pollarding trees, for example, that is so common in France. Trees don’t always survive that treatment. I seemed to notice also that Americans are looser in their body movements, too. They walk and even dance differently. They are definitely freer in what they wear.
A French friend once remarked that Americans will wear anything and eat anything at any damn time of the day, proof they’re…
