Environmentalism

A principle element of the book’s ethos is the idea that humanity must cultivate a greater awareness of—and connection to—nature in order to create further motivation towards ecological action. For example, in Chapter 6, O’Connell seeks to directly challenge “the myth of nature, the ancient idea that we, as a species were fundamentally distinct from the world out of which we’d emerged” (143). One way in which O’Connell attempted to personally overcome such a notion was to go on wilderness treks. One was with a group in Australia, and one was by himself in Scotland. In this way, O’Connell was able to cultivate a deeper sense of intimacy with nature and the environment. Even if people are unable to regularly trek into wilderness, O’Connell urges readers to remain consistently aware of the idea that humans are not separate from nature, and that...