“This is what you shall do: Love the earth and sun and animals, despise riches, give alms to everyone that asks, stand up for the stupid and crazy, devote your income o the labor of others, hate tyrants, argue not concerning God…[and] read these leaves in the open air every season of every year of your life”.
Walt Whitman wrote these words in the preface to the 1855 version of Blades of Grass, his collection of poetry; within the first ten words, he seemed to have created an ecopoetic ethic. He was one of the first Authors to refer to animals, mostly birds, as more than just personified objects. During this time period, it was no small feat to write such a thing and have it generally accepted. But he keeps pushing the limit by telling people to stand up for the stupid and crazy and (here comes the kicker) argue not concerning God. Wow. I do believe our entire Nation was built on faith, for a while, I’m pretty sure, that faith was all America had to talk about! (Isolationism is pretty boring) I believe this quote was ahead of its time. In today’s world of going “green”, tanking economies, and multicultural habitation; no other moral code can be beaten. So stand up for the stupid and crazy (free thinkers), devote your income to the labor of others (what goes around comes around), hate tyrants (the Fat Cats on wall street), argue not concerning God (so we can coexist), and above all Love every aspect of nature (who knows how much longer we will be able to).
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