ISSN: 2151-0806
Vol. 6, Issue 3 July, 2013
Book Review. Adventures With a Texas Naturalist. 1947. Roy Bedichek. Austin, TX: University of Texas Press edition 1994. (330 pages). Reviewed by: Roberto Bahruth, PhD Boise State University Department of Bilingual Education College of Education Boise, ID 83725 E-mail: robertobahruth@boisestate.edu
ADVENTURES WITH A TEXAS NATURALIST. 1947. ROY BEDICHEK. (Book Review) The connection between peace education and environmental issues is central to attempts at transformational practices in a consumer society. When human beings come to realize they’re part of a web of relationships that exist in nature, they tend to become more respectful of life in all of its forms. The relative balance evident in subsistence cultures may center on a world view where they see themselves as a part of nature, thereby being much more respectful of the delicate balances shared among all life, from plants to animals, to humans. Wise scholars in consumer societies do not fit into the dominating role of “man versus nature” and show a deeper appreciation for the big picture. The defenders of nature and the environment bemoan the outright pillage of the planet’s resources born out of ignorance and arrogance. When greedy capitalists value pieces of paper over the wealth of knowledge and diversity nature offers, it is no surprise that damage to delicate balances in the environment are inconsequential to their purpose to maximize profits. Unfortunately, the consequences for sustainable life have become more apparent with each new decade of globalization of consumer culture around the planet. Prolonged draughts, the expansion of tornado belts, crop failures, record-breaking temperature extremes, floods beyond the worst in recent memory, all indicate signs from nature that consumerism is an unsustainable way of being. Many scholars have invested their lives in exploring and contemplating the relationships among animals in the wild and human disruptions of the balances that have come to threaten all life as we have known it. The wealth of knowledge and understanding these scholars have generated Peace Studies Journal, Vol. 6, Issue 3, July 2013
Page 181