In the West, there is this constant air of “disenchantment”, which Max Weber coined to mean the “cultural rationalization and devaluation of religion apparent in modern society” (a modernized, bureaucratic, secularized Western society) (Wikipedia). Compared to Eastern culture, nature has been desacralized and devalued for prospects of industrialization, westernization, modernization, and “the cult of progress” in the West. This “Western view of nature is characterized by a subject-object (humanity-nature) dualism” (Reitan) but it must be rethought and questioned as we continue to contribute to the devastations during our time: the Anthropocene.
This Western view of nature and overall disenchantment and disillusionment with society has been a draining and negative factor when it comes to my mental health and the mental health of others. Being from Staten Island, NYC—the burrough with the most parks and greenery—I remember how strongly my community members fought for the preservation of the Graniteville marshland. I fondly remember my part-time job working with a beautiful community of composters, farmers, gardeners, and nature volunteers at the Staten Island Snug Harbor Botanical Gardens. I have great memories of bringing compost I helped sift, home to replant a plant I’ve had for 7 years and still lives today (albeit it has lived in multiple states since then). In a world that only reflects an ever growing concrete jungle, I never want to take nature for granted.
However, a combating view of “disenchantment” is postmodern animism, and consuming content full of animism, spirituality, and hope during these times has been a positive influence in terms of my mental health. I encourage that we see nature and our effects on it through a transcultural, transdisciplinary, and “Postmodern Animism” perspective.
Through film and art, new spaces focused on environmentalism and eco-mindfulness are created in the consciousness of a global audience. “Postmodern animism” is a term that “emerged from the fusion of a critique of modernity with the intangible cultural heritage of grassroots Japan” (Yoneyama). Postmodern animism is a worldview that enables us to confront climate change by conceiving of nature as a synthesis of the material and spiritual worlds. It aids in the development of a new approach that is better suited to the Anthropocene. It is animism that has been updated while purposefully retaining its fundamental elements, such as nature and spirituality. It challenges modernization and creates understanding that can get past the philosophical and theoretical impediments to taking action against climate change (Yoneyama). I believe that this modern revival of animism has roots in the Japanese religion/worldview of Shintoism and its spiritual and environmental values.
These perspectives illustrate how mankind's attempts to control the environment are ineffective against its resiliency and ultimately lead to two-sided devastation since people are an essential component of the environment instead of existing apart from it. As a result, reverence and respect for the power and splendor of nature, a tolerance toward modern humanity's flaws, and our deference to the natural laws should be promoted. Only then could harmony be achieved.
In the “climate” of today’s society, many artists and creators now shed light on these issues in a way that subtly, yet directly, illuminates them. Two of these artists are certainly Hayao Miyazaki and Makoto Shinkai, and they expertly make nature and spirituality philosophy, such as Shintoism and Wabi-Sabi, the main highlights of their films and art. “Through their art, both Miyazaki and Shinkai embed in the minds of millions of people from all parts of the globe the epistemology that humans are part of nature—instead of being a separate category—and nature is a vital force containing both the spiritual world and life. This nature-spirituality-life nexus is represented by the concept of animism, in particular, the concept… ‘postmodern animism’” (Yoneyama). Although Japanese culture is not my native culture, these specific cultural elements have affected me positively and help me see life on the brighter side…
Continued in Part Two.
Sources:
Disenchantment - Wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Disenchantment
Rethinking Human-Nature Relationships in the Time of Coronavirus: Postmodern Animism in Films by Miyazaki Hayao & Shinkai Makoto | The Asia-Pacific Journal: Japan Focus Yoneyama, Shoko. “Rethinking Human-Nature Relationships in the Time of Coronavirus: Postmodern Animism in Films by Miyazaki Hayao & Shinkai Makoto.”, 15 August 2020
Ecology and Japanese History: Reactionary Environmentalism's Troubled Relationship with the Past | The Asia-Pacific Journal: Japan Focus Reitan, Richard. “Ecology and Japanese History: Reactionary Environmentalism's Troubled Relationship with the Past.” Japan Focus, 1 February 2017
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