Chanting Spring

As a writer seeking to experience and express the imperative for communion with the other- than-human world, my book, Chanting Spring, is a scientific yet deeply cross-cultural perspective on our possibilities for transitioning from COVID-19. Starting from a provocative statement that ‘we are wild’, the book takes us on a journey of discovery, showing how we relate to our different ‘natures of being’. It uncovers the story behind the pandemic – not the conspiracies nor the inter-governmental responses, but the true meaning of what is being asked of us. In recognising that as a species, we were already uncapable of properly breathing even before coronavirus took our breath away, the book behoves us to stop and rethink our relationships on every level.

Using the clarion call of Rachel Carson’s book Silent Spring as my touchstone, the book maps out our disconnection from the natural world and the consequences this has wrought on us. Unlike other books of this ilk, it also weaves a narrative of reconnection, one that ultimately offers us hope. It blends together my background as an environmental and social scientist with my experiences with Indigenous Peoples in the Amazon, thereby offering a mix of science and traditional wisdom and showing that there is hope – and indeed, if we know where to look for it, there is profound knowledge too – as we transition to a post-pandemic world. Such hope lives in the other- than-human realms, where our connection with our oldest ancestors lies, and in the knowledge of Amazonian Indigenous Peoples who hold the intelligence to our remembrance. We have forgotten who we are, it is our duty to remember, and Chanting Spring is my endeavour to remind different audiences, from scientists to general readers, how to do this. It is a book for old and young generations, for students and professors, for both people who are disoriented and want to understand how we got here but also for the ones who feel a real urgency for change.

Coronavirus has been under control, but it looks like we, as a species, have not taken heed of the lessons it offered, and so it is likely that new pandemics or other climate and health crises will befall us in quick succession until we do learn these lessons. Yet, if nothing else, coronavirus has proved that we can make unprecedented changes to our lifestyles in record time. It has proven that we can change, and if we can change, there is hope. Like its predecessor, Silent Spring, my book speaks on behalf of the other-than human realm who are our co-creators and carry a distinguished intelligence in this incredible dance of life. It is time to listen to them, to remember that we are not alone.  

To a large extent, the book shows that we are experiencing a ‘starvation of being’, a malnutrition, which is resulting in our physical and spiritual diminishment. It confirms that the only certain prediction we can make is: ‘I shall die’ and that it is exactly this vulnerability that awakens our ability to move in a different direction. The book goes on to beautifully explain that we are in the middle of a transition, a rite of passage, showing that we no longer can take it for granted that our species will survive or that conditions on our planet will remain hospitable for complex forms of life. As a species we have been to many ‘ends of the world’ before and now we are being asked to consciously evolve. Finally, the book guides us through possible responses to a longing that many people have to return to the wild, to experience themselves once again as part of the natural world, not separated from it.

Currently, I am in the final stages of editing my book and actively seeking publishers. To stay updated on its progress and release, kindly subscribe here.

Chanting Spring – Synopsis

Mutating with coronavirus

Story is vital to being human. It is an inextricably deep part of who we are. We always have a story – no matter what we are doing, no matter where we are in life, no matter what is happening, there is a story. What, then, is the story of our future? How do we transition to a better future?

This book is my story of the roots of COVID-19 and the possible transitions that the pandemic offers to contemporary civilisation. I suggest how the pandemic could positively contribute to a reconstruction of societal systems inspired by Indigenous traditions. Inclusive transitions are crucial in times of crises and could challenge the dominant practices of modern society. A metaphorical analysis of the roots and symptoms of COVID-19 shows that it mirrors the roots and symptoms of humanity’s modern culture. So far, we have been blocking or postponing our ability to communicate and act over the myriad crises we face as a species, but the experience we had with COVID-19 could catalyse a transition.

The book is not just about the pandemic, it is also about relationships, especially the forgotten ones, such as between humans and plants, animals and elements, the so-called other-than-human beings. At this moment of profound ecological and health crises, there is an urgent call to rethink human relationships with the rest of Nature. My critique of modern humanity highlights its dominant and destructive relationships with Nature, and I contrast that with the harmony and balance that Indigenous cultures retain with the natural world. Indigenous cultures are very clear about the fact that modern civilisation has gone off track. They strongly believe, however, that the track can be regained by a fundamental reconnection with Nature in its most natural and non-human states.  But how do we reconnect with Nature? I explore this question and some surprising answers in this book. I also question the current worldview: our understanding of the nature of reality, of the ethical obligations we hold and our position relative to other-than-human beings. This underpins my main assertion throughout the book – that humanity must reconstruct harmonious relationships with the other-than-human realm if we are to survive and thrive in a post-pandemic world. To do so, we need to acknowledge that Indigenous Peoples are scientists and have different natural technologies on their hands that could help in the understanding that humanity is a less than exceptional or necessary species.

We live in a time of widespread anxiety, where human population and consumption are increasing at the same time as essential forms of life, such as freshwater, fish stocks, soil, are in decline. We are now eight billion and our lifestyles have changed fundamentally from those of our ancestors, to the point where we have imperilled our very existence. But we also know that as human beings, going through a transition is nothing new, whether as a collective or as individuals. We are now collectively experiencing another transition, another end of the world.

In the Spring of 2020 all animals, including humans, were chanting. Either because they could breathe more easily with less pollution in the atmosphere, or because they could not breathe at all and were chanting their final lament. Undoubtedly, we are going through a rite of passage. Ultimately, the question is, who are we evolving into? We do not really know where we are bound, but we know we are changing; we know we cannot go back to where we were before the pandemic, yet we know we cannot go back to pre-industrial civilisation either. So where are we going and who will we become? These questions may be answered by one irrefutable truth: to exist on this planet, in this form, we must remember how to live as Nature lives, to collaborate with each other, all the others. We need to reclaim our humility and vulnerability and (re)learn how to listen to other-than-human beings. The science of ecology teaches us that we have to understand the interactions of all living things in the natural environment in which we live, and know that we are an intrinsic, but not dominant part of this web. Science, however, has struggled to engage with the cultural imagination. Drawing insights from Indigenous wisdom, philosophy, anthropology, sociology and biology, my book will unravel the science and enable a wider understanding of the exquisite interactions and relationships that we are all part of, whether we know it or not. This is the true story of being.

About Fernanda Gebara

I am a mother, writer, scientist, lecturer, and forever learner from Brazil.

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