The Real Solution to Ecological Crisis

The ecological crisis is a widespread global issue. Scholars in different fields continue to propose various solutions toward the issue. The author, Llewellyn Vaughan-Lee, a Sufi teacher, and writer, in the article “Shifting the Climate Debate on Sacred Ground” with a revolutionary idea published in Huffington Post and moves his readers by claiming that the fundamental solution for ecological crisis is to rebuild the bond between humans and the earth. By using various rhetorical strategies and appeals of pathos and ethos, he successfully argues that a spiritual perspective is imperative in resolving the ecological crisis.
At the beginning of the article, Lee employs multiple sources to support his argument that environmental crisis is rooted in spirituality. He quoted a theologian, Metropolitan John Zizioulas “the ecological crises are fundamentally the spiritual problems” and mentions scientific studies regarding a “sixth great mass extinction” to support his argument (12). Through different references and a number of sources and individuals, he evidence because the sources support his idea, which is currently a popular and widely acclaimed in both science and religious fields. Although the scholars and elites, as represented by Pope; Zizioulas, and scientists who study climate change conduct have ultimately reached an agreement and share the same opinion that the ecological crisis essentially exists and will be vital for the human to solve in the future.
After ascertaining that the topic is subject to pervasive debates and discourses, Lee admits that the studies on the ecological crisis are in “arena of science, politics, and economics.

” (12) “Science can show us the physical symptoms of a deep global imbalance, of civilization no longer sustainable and economic models illustrate how painfully this affects the poorest among us.” (12) He clarifies that he is not a religious fanatic because he admits the value research results and contribution from these areas of science, politics, and economics. This clarification makes his academic character appears to be more objective and realistic and his argument more persuasive to the readers. However, he merely concedes to the result of these three areas while indicating that there should be spiritual components in a way that solves the crisis. By developing his argument, he points out that people should do a lot more than those three areas that have been mentioned above. With the information that he provides, the author successfully attracts readers’ attention on the issue; people should solve the ecological crisis through spirituality.
After he reviews the background and indicates the need to solve the ecological crisis, the author goes on to define what it means to have spiritual perspective in solving the ecological crisis. His summarizes the Pope’s encyclical that we need to “reconnect [] the well-being of the Earth to the well-being of our soul, care for the Earth to care for the soul.” (12) Lee informs and educates the readers that the correct way to solve the ecological crisis in spirituality is that people need to rebuild a living bond with the Earth. The readers will be persuaded after they have had a better understanding of spiritual perspective in solving the ecological crisis. Meanwhile, after drawing from the Pope, the author provides an authority to the definition of spiritual perspective as a way of solving the ecological crisis, which is seemingly persuasive to his readers.
After he informs and educates the readers about the appropriate approach in solving the ecological crisis in the spirituality paradigm, the author reestablishes his credibility in the readers’ conceptualization with the ethos appeal. He indicates that he has a privilege to speak on this issue since he has foreseen, studied and promoted this issue for a long time. “For the past ten years, I have stressed the urgent need for a spiritual perspective in many articles, talks, and radio interviews” (Llewllyn n.p). It appears to be an ethos because the author establishes his credibility by showing the readers that he has worked on this issue for a long period and has a unique understanding and perspective. The author’s experience and knowledge give the readers the confidence to believe his arguments.
Later, the author then uses the appeal of Kairos to indicate that his idea are popular and people should start to act as he instructs. “Now, due to Pope Francis’ encyclical, what had been a fringe and at times a lonely voice has suddenly become mainstream” (Llewllyn n.p). It appears to be a Kairos strategy because this sentence indicates that the increasing popularity of believer after the Pope’s encyclical has posted. Finally, it is the right time for human beings to act to reconnect their soul with the Earth. Moreover, since the Pope confirmed and popularized the idea, the author also revels in great delight.
In order to allow the readers to accept his argument, Lee conveys his personal emotion with a serious and sober tone and creates a resonance to readers through a rhetorical question. To cement the tone of the section, he asks, “If we held the Earth as sacred, as part of the living oneness to which we belong, could we treat it in this way — would we pollute the river, kill off its species?” (12) Lee injects the emotion of indignation and anxiety by using the terms, such as “pollute” and “kill off,” in the rhetorical question. This rhetorical question appears to be pathos because Lee emphasizes that the ecological crisis will not occur if humans consecrate the Earth. Nevertheless, he evokes the readers’ feelings of regret and guilty for degrading the environment and “sense of relatedness” toward the Earth. He empathizes with the readers, and employing a sense of his concern in ecological crisis and allows the readers agree with his argument and convinces the readers emotionally.
After he aroused the readers’ emotion, Lee also asks several direct questions to the readers in the following paragraph to inspire thoughts in the readers:
“But how can we reclaim the inherent “mystery” that belongs to all of the creation, while living in a “throw away” culture that has covered this wonder with waste? How can we return to a magical world, one that we have made toxic with our greed and desires, with our addiction to consumerism? Could it begin with something as simple as recognizing that we are not separate from the Earth, but — breathing its air, sustained by its food, nourished by its beauty — are part of this miracle?” (12-13)
These direct questions evoke thoughts from the reader that how their lifestyles negatively affect the Earth. He questions the people’s ability to solve the environmental problems while they live with such lifestyles that are damaging the Earth. The author pushes the readers to focus that the damage our lifestyle done toward the Earth. Meanwhile, he leads us to think along with his argument that we need to rebuild our bond with the Earth and abandon those lifestyles if we want to save the Earth. The author supports his argument as he leads the readers to ruminate their life It illustrates the necessary and correctness to solve the ecological crisis in spirituality aspect and convince the readers to believe his argument.
At the end of the article, Lee uses a pathos appeal to stimulate the readers’ emotion with the rhetorical strategy of personification and leave a deep impression on readers’ mind when we finish this article. Lee ends his article with a personification of the Earth that “The cry of the Earth—as we recognize and feel her suffering—can also open our hearts (13).”In this sentence, the author uses the personification and brings the emotional imagination in readers’ mind as the Earth cries after the physical damage to the environment done by people. Terms in this sentence, such as “cry” and “suffering,” empathize the readers and evoke their emotion of self-accusation. Hence, appeals to be pathos because the author builds the sorrowful image that Earth cries to invoke sympathy of readers and suggest them to rebuild the living bond after they finish the article. The author uses this personification at the end so that the reader can walk away from the article with the solution of the ecological crisis.
The author indicates that the essential root of the ecological crisis is the separation between the human species and the Earth. Lack of feelings toward Earth renders the consumerism and belittlement toward the world. The only way to solve the problem is to rebuild the sense of connection between human beings and the environment. Although this theory sounds abstractive, it becomes plausible to the readers after Lee applies his rhetorical strategies in the article. Readers of his article should adjust their value system toward the place we live as the author mentions in the essay. It will vastly benefit our way to protect our environment.
Work Cited
Llewllyn Vaughan-Lee. “Shifting the Climate Debate onto Sacred Ground.” Huntington Post.
Jul 02, 2015.