Mailbox
Browne Molyneux, one
of the people profiled in
Diane Meyer’s “
Without a Car” (May/June
2011), spelled out a
critical reality about going carless in LA: the
missing ingredient is
social justice. It’s crucial
to empower those who
don’t have access to decent public transportation, who live in
dangerous neighborhoods, or, for whatever other reason, can’t a=ord the luxury
of carlessness.
Until we grapple with those challenges, going carless will remain a partial solution limited to those who can
a=ord it. I hope Orion will do more to
address this disconnect in a way that reflects all its social, economic, and racial
complexity.
FLORA BRAIN
Arcata, California
Thanks to J.B. MacKinnon for his in-
sight into the vital wisdom held in the
memories of elder animals. I’d like to
add to it a few words for the wisdom held
by elder plants: When I walk among the
old-growth Douglas fir, western hemlock,
and red cedar trees of the central Oregon
Cascades, where I live, I am humbled.
These giants recall the stories of their
long lives in broken-top owl nests, stove-
pipe leaders, corkscrew lightning scars,
and bole burls as big as
beach balls; in epicormic
branch fans, totemic pi-
leated woodpecker cavi-
ties, and basket-peel
scars left by people
whose handiwork con-
tributed to the tree’s
memory rather than
eliminated it. And when
I walk among dining-
room-table-sized stumps, each one a
hint at the forgotten wisdom of centu-
ries, I’m cut. Gone is the example of
long-term resilience and deeply rooted
belonging the standing trees embody
and impart; and gone, too, is the very
wisdom most needed to face our current
challenges. MacKinnon shows the im-
portance of protecting and honoring all
of Earth’s remaining elders, no matter
what form they take.
TIM FOX
McKenzie Bridge, Oregon
I appreciate Derrick Jensen’s protest
against apathy in his column in the May/
June 2011 issue (“To Live or Not to Live”).
We need voices like his calling us to action, insisting on engagement. From another angle, however, apathy can be an
appropriate response to trauma: if we
recast society’s apathy as a response to
collective trauma— the causes of which
are numerous— does that help us heal
and engage again?
For those interested in reading more
from a psychological perspective about
the roots of self-destruction, I recommend Shierry Weber Nicholsen’s The
Love of Nature and the End of the World:
The Unspoken Dimensions of Environmental Concern. Her analysis of apathy makes
an interesting counterpoint to Jensen’s
frustration and fury.
REBECCA RUGGLES
Baltimore, Maryland
After reading Derrick Jensen’s argument against apathy, I realized I’m probably one of the people who frustrate him.
I’ve spent a lifetime reusing, recycling,
bicycling, and carpooling — only to realize
that it’ll never be enough. That’s a tough
nut to swallow. But while I’m unsure how
to deal with hopelessness, I do know this:
I love the morning sun and my dog when
he sleeps with his chin on his paws, I want
islands of nature preserved, and I want
children to have hope that’s real even if
ours is delusional. That’s enough, and I
will continue to do what I can—that’s
my commitment.
DAVE REAGAN
Garberville, California
Derrick Jensen’s facility with words in
his column in the May/June 2011 issue
does not prevent his thought from being constricted by anger and hyperbolic,
overgeneralized metaphor. While anger
can be a useful and engaging beginning
Change of address and new subscription orders may be sent to: ORION MAGAZINE,
P.O. Box 469090, Escondido, CA 92046; or you may call (800) 254-3713; or you may write via
e-mail to orionmag@pcspublink.com.
Orion is published bimonthly by The Orion Society and The Myrin Institute, 187 Main Street,
Great Barrington, MA 01230. Telephone: (413) 528-4422. E-mail: questions@orionmagazine
.org. ISSN 2161-2722. Periodical postage paid at Boston, MA. Copyright ©2011 by The Orion
Society. All rights reserved. No part of this periodical may be reproduced without the writ-
ten consent of Orion. Requests to reprint material appearing in Orion must be made in
writing; fax requests to (413) 528-0676 or e-mail permissions@orionmagazine.org. The opinions ex-
pressed by the authors do not necessarily reflect those of Orion or The Orion Society. You may
subscribe to the magazine online at www.orionmagazine.org. Annual subscriptions are $35
(add $10 U.S. for Canadian and $20 U.S. for International). POSTMASTER, send address changes
to ORION MAGAZINE, P.O. Box 469090, Escondido, CA 92046. Printed on FSC-certified
process chlorine–free paper containing 50 percent postconsumer fiber. Printed in the USA by
The Studley Press, Dalton, MA.
