The Power of Myth: Can Rediscovering the Sublime in Nature Solve the Climate Crisis?

In Sacred Nature: Restoring our Ancient Bond with the Natural World, author Karen Armstrong contends that the damage that humanity is inflicting on the natural world reflects a severed link between the natural world and the sublime in Western cultures, where nature is viewed as a resource to be controlled and exploited. She contrasts this attitude with other religious traditions that venerate nature and see it as inseparable from the divine. In this article, I review Armstrong's book and consider how Western socio-cultural attitudes and religious narratives collide with my love for the natural world, impacting my efforts to adopt more sustainable practices.