The Lovely, Mysterious, and Awesome Space
Friday, November 15
Today is a guest post by Heather Johnston. The text is a quote from Edward Abbey. Various sources online say it was part of a speech with advice to environmentalists delivered in Missoula, Montana in 1976, but I wasn’t able to verify the original source of the quote.
One final paragraph of advice: do not burn yourselves out. Be as I am — a reluctant enthusiast… a part-time crusader, a half-hearted fanatic. Save the other half of yourselves and your lives for pleasure and adventure. It is not enough to fight for the land; it is even more important to enjoy it. While you can. While it’s still here. So get out there and hunt and fish and mess around with your friends, ramble out yonder and explore the forests, climb the mountains, bag the peaks, run the rivers, breathe deep of that yet sweet and lucid air, sit quietly for a while and contemplate the precious stillness, the lovely, mysterious, and awesome space. Enjoy yourselves, keep your brain in your head and your head firmly attached to the body, the body active and alive, and I promise you this much; I promise you this one sweet victory over our enemies, over those desk-bound men and women with their hearts in a safe deposit box, and their eyes hypnotized by desk calculators. I promise you this; You will outlive the bastards.
The first time I heard this quote, I was fourteen and on a backpacking trip in New Mexico. It was so refreshing to hear this sentiment, perhaps even paradigm shifting. At that point in my life, I was increasingly aware of the perils of climate change, and the way the problem was rapidly worsening (thankfully writing now in 2024, I’m more optimistic after seeing some real progress). With my growing concern for the climate, my enjoyment of the outdoors became clouded by grief. Although I loved, and still love, being outside, I also held the sadness of knowing that nature may soon cease to imply beauty and splendor, and instead imply danger and instability.
When I heard Abbey’s quote, I dropped a burden I hadn’t even realized I was carrying. To be an environmentalist didn’t have to mean that I was only sad and pessimistic. I could strive to protect nature, and also enjoy nature wholeheartedly.
And of course this sentiment applies in contexts outside of environmentalism. For me, like many who are deeply concerned about the political situation, I think this quote recommends a light touch for engaging with political activism. You must keep half of yourself for enjoying the freedoms and rights which you wish to protect. Yes, still fight for what you believe in, but be “a part-time crusader.”
On the other hand, when you are in the mode of enjoying, it can be frightening to contemplate committing to action or activism. Because once you face the seriousness of what you are fighting for, it can feel overwhelming, like the harsh reality will swallow you up. It makes it easier when you remember that you can, and should, always return to rejoicing in what you value. You can return, whether literally or metaphorically, to the beauty and splendor of nature, to the lovely, mysterious, and awesome space.
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