Alan Hanczyc

Stepping Stone 28 Guide

"I am a high school teacher and outdoor enthusiast who is most at home fly-fishing ​the rivers of North America and hiking and biking in​ the mountainous terrain of New England."

I chose to host this steppingstone because I was both challenged and inspired by the opening quote from Richard Nelson which reads: “There is nothing of me that is not Earth, no split instant of separateness, no particle that disunites me from my surroundings. The rivers run through my veins, the winds blow in and out with my breath, the soil makes my flesh, the sun’s heat smolders inside me… The life of Earth is my own life.”

When I encountered the phrase, the rivers run through my veins, I was reminded of the preciousness and vulnerability of Earth’s waters; and I asked myself: How is it that, water—the the basis for all life on Earth—is being so terribly abused? And why is it that we are reluctant to acknowledge that what we do to Earth’s waters, we do to ourselves? The answer to these questions, I believe, is linked to our human arrogance and our objectification of Earth.

Insofar as the topic of this steppingstone is Earth, before going further, I have a simple request for you: Use the index finger of your right hand to point to Earth. Easy, right? Just point to Earth…  So, where are you pointing? Up? Down? Right? Left? All around? All of these directions are part of the answer, but did you remember to point back to yourself?

Two decades ago, as an undergraduate student, majoring in Biology at Penn State, I had one course in my senior year that I’ll never forget. The title of the course was Field Ecology and it was taught by Chris Uhl who happens to be the author (along with Melissa DiJulio) of the Awaken 101 book that inspired this website. The goal of Uhl’s course was to challenge us to see ourselves as a part of Earth… rather than apart from Earth. I confess that if I had been asked to point to Earth on the first day of Uhl’s class, it would never have occurred to me to point back to myself.

But fortunately for me, his course invited me to focus on the big picture, and in so doing, I came  to see myself as inseparable from Earth. Indeed, I can no longer point outward to Earth because Earth and I are one—inseparable! As a result, I now know that a portion of the oxygen that I breathe in each day comes from the trees around me; and the chemical elements in my flesh and bones have their origins in Earth’s soils; and the water that comprises two-thirds of my body comes to me thanks to Earth’s waters. In short, Earth and I truly are one.

This is true for all of us. For example, right now, as I sit writing this narrative, I am, literally, Earth sitting… Earth writing. The same is true for you. Right now, as you take in this text, you are Earth reading!

What’s more, though we have all been conditioned to believe that we live on Earth, the truth is that we live in Earth. If you doubt this, just place your attention on your breath and then look up. The thin transparent band of air – of atmosphere – above you is the source of your every breath. Yes, Earth is above your head, as well as below your feet. You live in Earth. We all do!”