I hadn’t heard of David Suzuki, before I read this book which provides insights into what it means to grow up in a culture that is not the country’s mainstream. David was born in Canada of Japanese parents who were also Canadian-born, and his internment during World War II had a lasting effect. Having trained as a scientist he went on to host radio and television programmes dealing with the environment, more recently global warming, and works passionately to protect the planet.
He compares the short-term perspective of employees and investors with the long-term perspective of environmentalists and First Nations people. Much of what he writes about Canada and Australia mirrors the New Zealand experience. Early settlers often survived only because of the knowledge and generosity of the indigenous people, and the latter have had to fight to retain control over a small part of the land, which is so integral to their culture. He points out that indigenous knowledge built up over thousands of years of careful observation, experimentation, and insight is being lost all over the planet in just a few generations and can never be recovered.
I found it interesting to read how he set up a charity and fundraised for it (pre social media), but by page 250 I was beginning to feel as though I’d read it all before in reports of Values/Green issues and protests, and I skipped the next hundred pages. The penultimate chapter about the culture of celebrity was interesting, as were his thoughts as he grows old. He quotes his dying father, and says he has similar sentiments: “I will return to nature where I came from. I’ll be part of the fish, the trees, the birds – that’s my reincarnation. I have had a rich and full life and have no regrets. I will live on in your memories of me and through my grandchildren.”
“We must help nature live and thrive
if life on earth is to survive.”
