“When you’re in a place that is not your own among people not like you, your first impulse has to be respect. Even if you don’t understand, you have to show respect for what is technically called another epistemology, another way of knowing the world.” – Barry Lopez
After nearly eight years of blogging at Books Can Save a Life, I’ll be taking a break to work on other writing projects and bookish activities. I’ll be back from time to time, though, when extraordinary books and literary happenings come along.
When I started Books Can Save a Life, I was thinking primarily about books saving lives personally and individually. Over the years, my reading has come to include books that I believe save lives in a much broader sense. Books have always been a way for me to understand the world, and I believe books can help us save value systems, democracies, species, and perhaps even humanity.
Bill McKibben, Barry Lopez, Richard Powers, Kim Stafford, Barbara Kingsolver, Terry Tempest Williams, Kathleen Dean Moore, and Mary Oliver are among the writers I’ve come to trust deeply. In his newest book, Falter, McKibben says we may have begun humanity’s endgame because of climate change, staggering inequality, and artificial intelligence. (Google has just announced it has achieved “quantum supremacy,” whatever that means.)
We don’t really know, of course. Barry Lopez recently said there is no place for despair and pessimism if we are to have the energy and wisdom for a massive course correction:
“The whole thing is on the line now. The entire meaning of the evolution of homo sapiens. We either show that our power of invention is tremendous or we show that the development of the imagination in the hominid line was maladaptive.”
Barry’s latest book, Horizon, a culmination of his life as a world traveller and seeker, is a handful at over 500 pages. If you don’t want to take on the book, I encourage you to listen to this 15-minute interview with Lopez at Public Radio International’s Living on Earth. It is filled with transcendent words of wisdom I wish everyone could hear.
All of us can work toward a more humanitarian culture and learn to take better better care of the earth. We’ve reached an inflection point in human history, and it’s our destiny to do the important work we’re each called to do. Reading can fortify us.
I’ve enjoyed sharing my reading journey with you.
“You can call it global climate change, you can call it the disintegration of democratic forms of government….the need to attack this issue, to me, is like one of the great voyages that we now have to choose to make, to move into unknown territory, into uncharted lands….My hope is that people will say, ‘We’re in trouble. What is going to be the vessel on which we sail?’ And, maybe more importantly, ‘Who is going to be the navigator?'” – Barry Lopez
Books Can Save A Life 
Good for you for focusing on new projects! Is it your autobiography? I think I might have heard the interview with Barry Lopez. I’ll have to give it a listen to see if it’s the same I was thinking of. If so, I agree – it was very worthwhile. But, as I am impossible with names, I can’t remember… sigh!
Hi, Anna! I’ve decided to post about once a month – I couldn’t keep up the more frequent posts any longer ’cause I need to write other things, but I’ve missed the blog and my readers – so that will be my compromise. Barry spoke at the Portland Festival of Books in November – I’ll be writing about that soon.
Ah – nice! I know what you mean. Feels like I haven’t written a substantial post in ages. Those little Vignettes keep me in line, I suppose, but I miss those bigger posts that require some research. Best of luck with all your new adventures!
Val, thank you for your eight years of blogging! And your kind, insightful voice. I am nowhere near as literary as you, but I have appreciated your perspectives. I too am taking a break, not from blogging, but from Facebook. I was noticing in myself all the reactions to social media that are widely discussed—envy, FOMO, depression, etc. So, for my own health, I’m not on FB for awhile, for how long, I don’t know.
By the way, the writers retreat did happen but neither of us attended. Apparently it was going to be more a ‘deep discussion’ than about writing, and I figured I could have deep discussions on my own without paying hundreds of dollars for the privilege!
Take care, Val, and new year’s blessings to you and Joe both!
Louisa
I know what you mean about Facebook – I’d rather not engage with it at all, but instead have pulled back from it quite a bit.
Louisa, thanks for your comments – I think that retreat was not in the cards for either of us. What a great virtual friend you’ve been all these years!
This failure of leadership is symptomatic of our times and it calls for a jolt to change course.
I don’t think I realized how nature/ecologically oriented you are. I commend you for your passion. I am not optimistic about us turning things around and frankly become depressed over the failing leadership in the American Administration at the moment.
But I wish you very well in your new projects!
Laurie, I’m so concerned too. I try to keep optimistic, but it’s difficult, and I’m so frustrated with our leadership. Thanks for your comments, and I like your blog!
Thank you!
What will you be working on? All the best to you! Please do pop in from time to time to say what you are up to!
I will Stefanie. I’m working on a memoir draft, and another project or two. I can’t quite let go of the blog, though! I’ll be back. I love yours its been great getting to know you and what you care about.
I totally understand the need to step back from blogging for a while, or at least slow down–i’ve been doing that myself. But for totally selfish reasons I hope you you do continue sharing your reading and wisdom with us, I always am inspired when I visit here.
the future does take on a dim cast, what with the attack on democracy and the lack of urgency when it comes to turning the tide of global warming. When Obama was in office I saw it as a sign that we were headed toward brighter days, a turning tide toward good, that long slow arch toward justice. But with Trump it seems the tide is turning the other way. And I wonder if it is just a matter of perspective. Whether we are viewing things from the top of the wave, or in its narrows, the sea just keeps on being the sea, continuous in its turning, and some greater hand than ours holds us all in its balance.
Thanks, Deborah, these are wise and beautiful words. I appreciate that you’ve been a faithful follower – of course, I’ve loved your blog for years and will continue to follow you. I think Lopez and others are ultimately hopeful, and that is good! I’ll be back from time to time!
I totally understand the need to step back from blogging for a while, or at least slow down–i’ve been doing that myself. But for totally selfish reasons I hope you you do continue sharing your reading and wisdom with us, I always am inspired when I visit here.
the future does take on a dim cast, what with the attack on democracy and the lack of urgency when it comes to turning the tide of global warming. When Obama was in office I saw it as a sign that we were headed toward brighter days, a turning tide toward good, that long slow arch toward justice. But with Trump it seems the tide is turning the other way. And I wonder if it is just a matter of perspective. Whether we are viewing things from the top of the wave, or in its narrows, the sea just keeps on being the sea, continuous in its turning, and some greater hand than ours holds us all in its balance.