Rewilding to gain new perspectives on modern civilization (interview with kenton whitman of rewild university)
Kenton Whitman is the founder of ReWild University (@rewilduniversity), a nature immersion school and online presence devoted to helping people reconnect with nature, question cultural paradigms, and discover how nature brings out the best in all of us.
In this podcast episode, Kenton sheds light on what rewilding is all about; how modern civilization has dehumanized us and disconnected us from our innate human senses; how the endless pursuit of comfort over the pursuit of fulfillment may lead us to feeling more inner voids that lead to overconsumption; and more.
To start, get a glimpse below into the conversation between Kenton and Green Dreamer Podcast's host, Kamea Chayne.
“We live in this culture that is constantly enticing us to seek fulfillment through unfulfilling methods.”
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This is a conversation on Green Dreamer with Kamea Chayne, a podcast and multimedia journal illuminating our paths towards ecological balance, intersectional sustainability, and true abundance and wellness for all. This preview has been edited for clarity. Subscribe to Green Dreamer Podcast on iTunes, Spotify, Stitcher, or any podcast app to stay informed and updated on our latest episodes.
On the roots of overconsumption and ecological degradation:
“We live in this culture that is constantly enticing us to seek fulfillment through unfulfilling methods. We have this constant striving and constant consumption of stuff to try to give us this feeling of being alive.
And because that's never fulfilled, that contributes to the environmental degradation that we see, the huge waste stream of plastics, and all of this 'goop' that we're putting out into the world that comes out of this never-ending desire that we can't ever quench."
On seeking fulfillment over comfort:
"We need to discover fulfillment because out of fulfillment, we won't be striving and we won't be hungry ghosts that are always reaching, trying to get that next best thing.
We're going to see that it's not a Facebook-like that gives us true fulfillment—it's sitting down and talking with somebody face-to-face. It's not that Hungryman dinner that gives us fulfillment—it's cooking a meal with our family or friends and sitting down, eating it together in connection."
On what rewilding our inner selves will make possible for us:
"Each of us is going to realize that we are very far from being the insignificant nothingness that every ad we watch basically tells us—[ads that tell us] we're lacking and we're insignificant and unimportant.
If we see ourselves as co-creators of this human experience, then our energies are going to change— what we're doing with our lives, how we're connecting, and how we're pulling our resources will start to alter."
Final words of wisdom:
“We are up against this huge cultural force, but it's a cultural force we're all co-creating. I would call us to compassion, even towards those who are hurting others, because they are trying to fill the same void that the people at the bottom are trying to fill.
If we can have compassion for everybody and come together, then we can stop demonizing each other, stop dividing, and begin a process of deep interconnection.
What we really need is to come together as a species. We are facing real challenges and we need real solutions.”
