The World We Once Lived In by Wangari Maathai

The World We Once Lived In Reviews

• 
  Steve

  A fascinating (albeit slightly dated) ode (in a unique, important voice, that of a Nobel Laureate) to trees and forests and nature, what we've lost, what we will lose, how we lost our way, and how we might recover it.
  
  A nice (conceptual) companion to Richard Powers' Overstory. Also a nice introduction to the the Great Green Wall -
  https://www.greatgreenwall.org/about-... -
  https://www.dw.com/en/the-great-green..., which, although it has yet to achieve its aspiration and is progressing slowly, and has morphed significantly, remains inspirational.
  
  This slender volume is installment 12 in the Penguin Green Ideas collection, which I'm finding well worth the investment ... and the minor hassle of acquiring it... Sadly, as my local independent bookstore confirmed, it is not available for sale (in the slipcase collection) in the U.S. (but it's not that difficult to order it from a UK supplier).
• 
  Hestia Istiviani

  This post would be the last book review post in 2022
  
  Awalnya karena Naomi Klein aku jadi sadar bahwa krisis iklim dan bencana alam nggak sekadar karena "alamnya lagi bereaksi". Melainkan karena keserakahan korporasi. Buku-buku yang membahas soal iklim, cuaca, pemanasan global, problematika ekologi sudah semakin banyak. Beberapa resensi yang ada di media mengatakan kalau buku-buku itu bisa berimbas buruk pada pembaca: bikin overthinking.
  
  Tapi, bukankah memang harusnya jadi bahan overthinking, ya?
  
  The World We Once Lived In mungkin salah satu buku tipis dari seri Penguin Green Ideas yang bikin kepikiran malam-malam. Apa yang dituturkan oleh Wangari Maathai bukan sesuatu yang dibuat-buat. Itu yang terjadi di lingkungannya. Bahwa eksploitasi besar-besaran membuat pola hidup & pola pikir penduduk asli jadi berubah.
  
  Kalau sempat membaca tentang ekofeminisme, sesungguhnya ada kaitannya antara alam ini dengan perempuan. Dan barangkali terjawab juga mengapa bumi dilambangkan dengan "Gaia" atau "Ibu Pertiwi." Karena sosok ibu difitrahkan untuk terus memberi.
  
  Lah, kalau ibu memberi tapi anaknya (manusia) nggak tau diri, gimana? That's what happened now. Famine, climate injustice, banjir, & hal buruk lainnya.
  
  Maathai pun berharap agar manusia modern mau belajar dari penduduk asli: cukup, tahu batasan. Ambil sumber daya seperlunya. Tahu kapan merasa kenyang tanpa perlu menimbun. Agar keseimbangan alam tetap terjaga. Agar sang Ibu bisa tetap memberi tanpa menciderai yang lain.
  
  Dan memang sudah sepatutunya, manusia sadar kalau mereka bergantung dengan makhluk hidup lainnya.
• 
  SergioEavesDropping

  Inspiriiiing!!!
• 
  Catullus2

  Trees, trees, trees
• 
  Karolina Slup

  The power of trees ♥️
• 
  Sandra Frans

  Buku kecil dari seri penguin green ideas.
  
  “it’s this attitude toward the earth, that has unlimited capacity, and the valuing of resources for what they can buy, not what they do, that has created so many of the deep ecological wounds visible across the world”
  
  Berisi tiga essay pendek, yang mengingatkan pembaca tentang rakusnya manusia dalam membuat luka di bumi, kekuatan pohon, dan hutan yang dulu dianggap sakral namun tidak lagi.
  
  Di esai pertama, Maathai menceritakan pengalaman dia dalam memperjuangkan Congo Basin, kemudian tentang suku Kikuyu dalam berelasi dengan alam. Dikatakan bahwa tradisi Kikuyu yang saling membantu, menanam dan memanen seperlunya, juga hubungan dengan binatang, semuanya runtuh ketika masuk pengaruh barat juga kristen.
  
  Tentang kekuatan pohon, Maathai mengatakan bahwa dalam sejarah, baik itu yang tertulis di Alkitab mulai perjanjian lama, sampai sejarah suku-suku, pohon itu selalu dinilai sakral. Di masa modern, manusia kemudian melihat pohon dari uang yang bisa dihasilkan dari kayu yang ditebang. Padahal, ada aspek sosial, budaya, psikologi, ekologi, bahkan ekonomi yang mengikat di sana. Terakhir, Maathau mengingatkan kembali ketika Inggris masuk dan membawa agama Kristen di Kenya serta membakar sejumlah area Sacred Groves (hutan yang dianggap memiliki nilai religius). Kejadian yang kemudian efeknya bisa banyak orang rasakan sekarang, di bumi yang semakin memanas ini.
  
  Membicarakan mengenai bumi yang hijau saat ini, rasa-rasanya sudah seperti berbicara tentang kenangan indah di masa lampau.
• 
  Jon Zellweger

  Maathai’s excerpts focus on their deep knowledge about the importance of trees and forests to the health of the local and global living systems. I greatly enjoyed the recounting of so many examples through cultural and religious histories where trees figure large. Of course, the paradox remains that with so many reverential connections to trees throughout history, tying to religious practice, fable, ritual, political navigations, etc., why has so much of humanity doomed so much of the worlds forests to destruction? Overpopulation, desire for a better, materialistic life are, in part, drivers. But Maathai cites a few passages of religious texts that affirmed my suspicions as to how insidiously woven into our existence certain presuppositions exist. There have been reports in the last decade about how trees are able to communicate, divert resources to brethren in need, etc. This ‘pamphlet’ supports this lay-person’s hippy-dippy, woo-woo notion that trees may be the most advanced lifeform on this planet. There is declining evidence that I could be wrong.
• 
  Colin

  I picked this one up from the new collection of penguins with an eco theme. It's a good description of the importance of trees in human society and why we shouldn't treat them as *only* a commodity that can be exploited endlessly without regard to good management.
  Wangari Maathai was an activist who lived out her beliefs in much the same way as the fictional Elzeard Bouffier, hero of The Man Who Planted Trees, which i finished yesterday, but actually really real not just pretend real.
• 
  bermudianabroad

  A brief collection of essays on the importance of trees both ecologically and spiritually. Maathai writes about her work, the emotional toll of seeing trees wasted as a resource and what needs to be done to ensure a greener future. This isn't a romantically written, poetic treatise. It's tone is more matter of fact, and starker.
• 
  Tamara

  Tiny snippets of stories that belong to wider, larger and more understood narratives, Maathai, a steward of the trees and natural worlds, examines and explores and humanises how we can act, own and make purpose from the world's we inhabit. All we need is to listen and respond from our heart.
• 
  Tamsin

  Note: this is a very short and small book. Basically it mainly compiles various sacred uses of trees and laments their loss of treasured status. Wangari Maathai is well-worth looking up if you're unfamiliar with her activism, though.
• 
  Lola Sherwin

  8/10
• 
  Anki

  Informative and important about trees and the environment.
• 
  Rob Soler Watson

  Consciousness
• 
  Phillip Huempfner

  I really enjoyed the first of 3 parts of the book. The 2nd section was all about tree symbology in ancient religions and cultures, and it
• 
  MimistXYU

  A great book but the parts about religious relationships with trees were boring, gave way to many examples for my preference .. Zzz
• 
  Ashley Moye

  Perfect
• 
  Nikita

  would recommend over a sunday afternoon wine 🍃🍷
• 
  Marta

  very interesting!! i probably would’ve enjoyed it more if i understood more about the religious aspects though
• 
  Charlie St-St

  My first read of Penguin's 'Green Ideas' collection, and I absolutely loved it! I haven't read a lot of environmentalist works, mainly because I worry that the science-based nature of it will just confuse me and I won't engage with them properly, but Maathai's 'The World We Once Lived In' is so accessibly and beautifully written - I learnt so much about the ecological and spiritual significance of trees within the wider environment; and rather than feeling sad about the current state of humanity's relationship with nature, I am left feeling hopeful that we can continue moving forwards and make friends with the trees again!!
• 
  Andi

  Great info in an digestible format
  
  Some environmental books can be super dry and boring but this is upbeat, concise and interesting throughout! Made me think again about the old trees by Dad took me to in my local area! May have to pay them a visit again soon!