Bateman on Getting to Know Nature
A life-long naturalist and a high school geography teacher for 20 years, Canadian wildlife artist, Robert Bateman, worries about the loss of connection between today's youth and nature. In his essay, "Education", Bateman accuses the current school system of failing to address the rising influence of "manipulative commercial enterprise" that propagates a culture dedicated to "self-indulgence" but ultimately suffers from a "sense of rootlessness and hopelessness." These problems are the root causes for the destruction of nature that angers and frustrates him.
What responsibility do schools have? They must once again dedicate the resources to support nature study and outdoor education, which Bateman strongly contends are "nothing short of the salvation of the planet." And it all starts with getting to know the other species that share one's neighbourhood. Knowing their names and becoming familar with them as one would with a good friend opens the heart to caring. Bateman closes his essay on "Outdoor Education" with this quote from African philosopher Baba Dioum "In the end, we will conserve only what we love, we will love only what we understand, and we will understand only what we are taught."
Releveant links:
Robert Bateman's Ideas. http://wwwbatemanideas.com
Robert Bateman Gettoknow program. http://gettoknow.ca
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