15 Quotes by Richard J. Borden

Ecological awareness expands the context of life; it also enlarges who we are as a person.

Unlike the clonal longevity of asexual organisms, sexually reproduced plants and animals usually have briefer, individual life cycles. In short, the enormous diversity afforded by the evolutionary invention of sexual reproduction came with a price—death of the individual.

Viewing ecology through the lens of individual life histories or the life cycles of species makes it easy to grasp the Hindu conception of life as drama. Every creature and plant has a separate path of sustenance and survival on the way to their final dance with Shiva.

Our bodies and minds are the current manifestations of a transhuman heritage. We are the burgeoning borders of life, along with every other living thing. All the creatures through which we have unfolded still linger, however faintly, within the design of our being. The more we know of this, the richer the feeling and experience of personal ecology.

My passion for human ecology was not a drive for closure—but rather the joy of endless openings and newfound connections. There is no final goal or perfect completion, only the expanding experience of being alive.

How our attitudes are shaped and defended may be more changeable than we realize.