Satish Kumar

I have just watched the most beautiful programme, which Simon had recorded. It was presented by Satish Kumar, whom I have known of via the journal Resurgence and the Schumacher College and have vague recollections of from earlier times when I expect my parents read his work, as they were peace activists. But I have really known little about him myself. He walked across the world for peace, he was a Jain before that. In this Natural World programme he walked around Dartmoor, and drew parallels between the things he saw through the year and what is happening in the world and his philosophy on life. It was simply presented, he did not preach, yet it was very powerful and moving. The importance of the honey bee to the future of all life on land, the need of the damsel fly, which predates the dinosaurs, to live in clean water, people as part of nature, not just controllers of it. The photography was stunning, it was very uplifting, and makes me want to read and understand more.

“Sadly, the human species considers itself as a superior species – and, in that, we try to control nature, manipulate nature. The way we treat our animals… forests… our oceans and rivers, and land and soil – that appears as if we are at war with nature. And in waging war against nature, we create problems for ourselves, because we ARE nature. And global warming, pollution of rivers, depletion of resources, is like cutting the branch upon which we are sitting.”

'You are, therefore I am - a declaration of dependence'. The title of one of Satish Kumar's books.