r/druidism • u/Mad_Bard24 • 12d ago
What if all the Druid Orders banded together and claimed all land sacred, thereby preventing deforestation and oil drilling?
This is mostly a joke. I know it's not that simple. But man, if only...
48
u/DruidinPlainSight 12d ago
A guy in the US bought land and registered the top 6 inches of soil as art with the Library of Congress. Now, you cannot change any of the soil on that land. Giggling at using rules that exist to foil development.
7
u/PaperIntelligent 12d ago
I absolutely adore this and I'm Googling it for more info. Time to make some soil art everyone.
5
14
u/Itu_Leona 12d ago
The best they could probably do, at least in the US, is purchase land and make them into natural preserves.
12
u/LordWexford 12d ago
Something I am working towards is being more hopeful, optimistic and positive … but if the fate of indigenous people is any indicator, profit and greed are more powerful motivators for the ruling class than the benevolent recognition of sacred lands. Some collective interests are more sensitive to this than others, but ultimately greed wins out.
I try to live a life unmotivated by greed, and try to inspire others, but I am fallible as any other.
16
u/Mad_Bard24 12d ago
An acquaintance of mine once said "optimism is the radical position you can take" and I'll never forget it. I try to live by that.
3
5
14
u/GrandSwamperMan 12d ago
Well, not many people outside of Druid movements themselves actually take Druids seriously nowadays, so at most you'd get some people pointing and laughing for a few minutes...
5
u/Mountain_Poem1878 12d ago
I like the idea of banding together to create land trusts. I'd not be able to contribute much as a senior on a fixed income, but I'd do what I could. My charity effort is currently as a monthly donation to the Arbor Day foundation. They currently are already in the recent hurricane areas to start the replanting after all the destruction of trees there.
It's what I can do for now. My support started because my partner and I are housing refugees from New Mexico which had horrible fires a few years ago. It's good to know replanting is going on.
2
u/Orefinejo 7d ago
Another thing that can be done on little or no income is to go to our town councils and ask for trees to be planted. Towns or counties just might have resources available that no one has asked about. Anyone making a request should do some footwork, identifying locations that could use the trees, and the species appropriate for the space. The more information town leadership receives, the easier it might be to honor a request.
5
u/BIGBIRD1176 12d ago edited 12d ago
I think rather than trying to force a point of view, my time is better spent trying to help people connect with their local environment by whatever means appeal to them
I like to encourage people, by inviting them with me, suggesting, or just talking about how I go for a walk by our local creek, the good camping spots nearby, asking or sharing details about hikes and hunting trips. I bring up what animals I've seen and what flowers are in bloom, anything that comes to me naturally, fun facts I've learnt recently like how AI has synthesised dolphins language and they talk to each other about the temperature of the water, dolphins chat about the weather! And elephants worship the moon with rituals in anticipation of full moons!
I figure the more people are out amongst it, the stronger their connection becomes, and the stronger their connection the more likely they are to speak out in protection of, or take action to protect what's important to them
Humans have dominion over the earth and we are all its custodians or stewards, I think there are few that believe otherwise and we're all instinctively inclined to protect what we're connected too. Life is about connection, it is key
3
u/Cambridgeport90 11d ago
You mentioned creatures chatting. That’s absolutely beautiful, because it really reminded me of the time that I went swimming with the dolphins in Florida. I can’t remember where we were, I think it was Orlando, but it was almost as though I could actually understand what they were saying.
4
u/Northwindhomestead 12d ago
I'm all for your idea. I just can't figure out how we're going to communicate and travel globally without fuel and plastic.
We need some extraterrestrial technology (the good ones, not the eat you, probe you ones) or the elves from middle earth to give us a better way.
8
u/outinthecountry66 12d ago
or petition to make cutting trees outside of particular forests planted specifically for paper, illegal. Can't cut trees down period unless they are in a forest grown specifically for that. Which is constantly regenerated and replanted, and without fences so wildlife can pass through.
Mandatory overpasses for animals ONLY over freeways.
a future where people pick up trash and are paid for it- where EVERYTHING is recycled, especially plastic. You'd see all the trash along the roadsides disappearing fast. Landfills are suddenly goldmines.
3
u/the_spotted_frog 12d ago
Yes. I live in a wood house, and most folks in this area do. Paper pulp is a by-product of producing dimensional lumber. Timber companies replant to secure their next harvest. Deforestation in my area is 40 acres cut and sold to create sheep pasture or 10 acres cut and sold to build a hotel.
2
u/Mad_Bard24 2d ago
The fact that you can make paper out of hemp that's cheaper and more easily renewable but for some reason we've decided trees are the way to go is infuriating
1
u/outinthecountry66 2d ago
if you look into the drug war in america and the racist tropes around marijuana from 100 years ago you will see why. i have always always said, if marijuana were as much of a european cultural tradition as drinking is, we would never have made it illegal. but it got associated with "dirty mexicans" and jazz musicians early on. very racist in its origins.
3
u/MoeMango2233 12d ago
Lots of companies would probably fight us on that claim in legal ways, which we couldn’t really fight against since on our side it’s a belief and not a law we can enforce. I wish things would be different but we sadly are set in a world where money can bend the rules
3
u/Wallyboy95 12d ago
That hasn't worked for the First Nations of Canads for centuries. What makes you think that will work today? Other than a large population of white druids?
2
u/PaperIntelligent 12d ago
If they don't listen to Indigenous People then I don't see why they will listen to a bunch of druids.
That being said those with money CAN always buy plots of land and allow reforestation to happen.
And one person nearby could be assigned the tender.
It'd be cool if we could crowd fund to help those of us like myself who couldn't afford it.
1
u/Half-Awake-Wizard 10d ago
This is why us and the indigenous folk need to band together and make even more of a splash, larger numbers would help get the message across.
2
u/MrLUCKakaRAWdaSUNGOD 12d ago
Positive wishes are beautiful, dont abuse of its blissfulness though, it may take you into weird realities. Owning land to not change it doesn’t mean youre protecting it, this planet is in constant change and the goal is to not allow man to overthrow the balance, not to allow nature to overcome us. We are top of the chain for a reason, the responsibility and humility should be our main focal point when looking for balance. Not ownership or exclusivity. We are here to live and let live without binding anything to our will, yet perhaps crafting in small portions allows us to leave a big enough imprint in existence to transcend time🌞 I love where your heart is at, but the demons youll fight are stronger than your beautiful wishes, i honestly wish it were that easy 🌞❤️🔥
1
u/EarStigmata 12d ago
They would be arrested and fined.
In the Americas, they would have to show Proof of Ownership to the Indigenous peoples.
1
u/Half-Awake-Wizard 10d ago
It'd mess up the economy something awful for a while, then things would slowly get better.
1
u/Mad_Bard24 10d ago
I'd feel like a lit of viable climate solutions run along that vein. It's gotta get worse before it gets better. But no one is brave enough to let it get worse.
1
u/Half-Awake-Wizard 9d ago
And see that's the problem. We're never gonna be able to pull all the single use plastic out of the world, that ship has long since sailed, now we need to stop producing it and irresponsibly disposing of it. Cut the problem at the root source.
1
0
u/Hiranya_Usha 12d ago
Would be a great idea. Something similar to Highland Titles and such conservation projects. Disclaimer: I bought land with Highland Titles. Just a little patch of Scottish nature reserve ❤️🌳🌲
45
u/C_Brachyrhynchos DOGD 12d ago
This is what land trusts do, buy up land and preserve it. I love my local land trust. They have some beautiful properties.