{"id":317,"date":"2021-11-04T09:42:01","date_gmt":"2021-11-04T16:42:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/webspace.royalroads.ca\/tcecchetti\/?p=317"},"modified":"2021-11-04T09:42:01","modified_gmt":"2021-11-04T16:42:01","slug":"the-weight-of-words","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/webspace.royalroads.ca\/tcecchetti\/the-weight-of-words\/","title":{"rendered":"The Weight of Words"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"be,<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Tiny Ecology Part 4<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Grammar holds a radical power. It creates hierarchy and difference and has the dramatic influence to alienate and degrade. Words mater and the way we refer to flora and fauna, people, and places, using specific pronouns, holds weight and meaning. Words give explanation and purpose to what surrounds us. In addition, language is what connects us. We thrive on the ability to understand but are fearful of the uncertainty of not knowing. Why we refer to our natural world and its beautiful inhabitants as \u2018it\u2019 and \u2018that\u2019 comes from a place of fear and the need to conquer. In her article, Kimmerer (2017) argues for the need to refer to our brothers and sisters of the natural world as \u2018Ki\u2019 <\/em>and \u2018Kin\u2019, <\/em>to \u2018signify a being [or beings] of the living earth\u2019. How we describe the world around us is reflective of our relationship with her. Why not be equals with the trees, the ocean, the rain, and the wind? It would be a wonderful way to begin to show respect to our wounded bond with Mother Earth. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tonight, I decided to go up to my sit spot amidst the downpour. Dressed awkwardly, in an\u00a0oversized puffy jacket, shorts, and sandals, I walked outside to where I now go to think and observe. I reflected on Kimmerer\u2019s piece, which stuck with me in a multitude of ways. If we were to view our connection with climate and nature as a relationship, couldn\u2019t we see how incredibly unbalanced it is? The excessive exploitation prevalent? And the harm being done? For me, it\u2019s so clearly in front of our eyes. Tonight the land was powerful and fierce. It reminded me of an angry younger sibling trying so vehemently to get my attention. Shaking at my very feet. Or of a never ending knock on your door that can\u2019t seem to be heard. We are siblings with the land and the wildlife that inhabit it. We are no different. We are equal participants in this so called life and will continue to be shown that we are no greater than the land in which we walk until we stand up together, unified, with a purpose to solve the greatest dilemma of our time. \u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Words are meaningful and why not focus more on the metaphor of a wounded relationship, a frayed bond, or a story yet to be heard than the \u2018crisis\u2019 that is climate change. Armstrong et al. (2018) add that \u201cmetaphors ground abstract concepts in concrete physical reality and\u2026activate mental representations that structure how people perceive\u2026message[s]\u201d (p. 70). Metaphor is a tool to expand awareness and could be utilized more to communicate climate change.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tonight\u2019s experience at my sit spot made me feel that I have much work to do to engage and affect change in the climate action space. I struggle, often, knowing where my place is and how to bring about that change. Passion is a beautiful thing but it needs to be harnessed and nurtured. My passion for climate is equivalent to that of love for a family member. The land is my family. Yet, how can that be translated to the general public? Rephrasing the climate crisis as a relationship that needs to be revived and resurfaced is a tough hill to climb. Although, it is the future of climate action and encouraging thoughtful speech and rhetoric is one path in the right direction. As Kimmerer suggests, redefining our relationship with the butterflies and the flowers and through the \u2018universal grammar of animacy,\u2019 we can begin to heal this wounded relationship I see so vividly when I look outside my window. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

References<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Armstrong, A. K., Schuldt, J. P., & Krasny, M. E. (2018)\u00a0Communicating climate change: A guide for educators<\/em>. Retrieved from \u00a0https:\/\/cornellopen.org\/9781501730795\/communicating-climate-change\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Kimmerer, R. W. (2017). Speaking of nature: Finding language that affirms our kinship with the natural world.\u00a0Orion Magazine<\/em>.\u00a0https:\/\/orionmagazine.org\/article\/speaking-of-nature\/<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Tiny Ecology Part 4 Grammar holds a radical power. It creates hierarchy and difference and has the dramatic influence to alienate and degrade. Words mater and the way we refer to flora and fauna, people, and places, using specific pronouns, holds weight and meaning. Words give explanation and purpose to what surrounds us. In addition, … Continue reading The Weight of Words<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":944,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"","sticky":true,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[21],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-317","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-cals502","without-featured-image"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/webspace.royalroads.ca\/tcecchetti\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/317","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/webspace.royalroads.ca\/tcecchetti\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/webspace.royalroads.ca\/tcecchetti\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/webspace.royalroads.ca\/tcecchetti\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/944"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/webspace.royalroads.ca\/tcecchetti\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=317"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/webspace.royalroads.ca\/tcecchetti\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/317\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":320,"href":"https:\/\/webspace.royalroads.ca\/tcecchetti\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/317\/revisions\/320"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/webspace.royalroads.ca\/tcecchetti\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=317"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/webspace.royalroads.ca\/tcecchetti\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=317"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/webspace.royalroads.ca\/tcecchetti\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=317"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}