Exploring the role of the modern man in a time where the climate crisis is at our doorstep, Nils Agdler’s essay offers thoughts and theories of gender, upbringing, language and caregiving in relation to the natural world, and addresses the challenges we need to overcome in order to continue living in it.
Agdler grew up among the forests and mountains of northern Sweden, and began contemplating his relationship with nature from an early age. He started documenting flora and fauna with his camera at 7 years, and has been fascinated by capturing his surroundings in pictures and on film ever since. However, not only did he experience nature from behind the lens – the lifestyle of his family and friends included yearly camping trips and long hikes, of which two 200-kilometer mountain treks with his older siblings were especially meaningful to him.
As a friend of the natural world as well as an artist who frequently draws upon it in his works, Agdler attempts to bring together the ideas of a number of prominent thinkers, who all have something to say about masculine ideals and ways of life, and how they relate to nature.
Regularly featured in the essay is Arne Naess, a Norwegian philosopher and creator of the “deep ecology” theory. In contrast to what he calls “shallow ecology”, which is focused on natural science-based solutions to specific ecological problems, his deep ecology emphasizes the intricate and symbiotic relationship between the human and her environment. All life on earth has an inherent value, and Naess, endorses an “ecologically equal” society, where the ideal of the “human in nature” is replaced by a non-hierarchical respect for all living things.
Deep ecology offers a thoughtful way of existing in and seeing nature, and draws upon each individual’s connection to natural environments in their vicinity that have particular emotional and sentimental value to themselves – Naess, calls this “bioregionalism”. Discovering this “passion” towards and care for nature which is personal, allows us to be more considerate and empathic in our relationship with nature on the whole, as well as in that with other humans. Agdler presents this idea of consideration or “care” as something many men today struggle with, and consider it one of the central causes for denial of and disinterest in the climate crisis.
Looking at the idea of care from another perspective, Agdler presents it as an essential feature in the ecofeminism theory, which originated in the 1970s with the objective of eliminating the “parallel” oppressions against women and nature. As a complement to this stands the modern research field of “ecomasculinity”, to which Raewyn Connell, ecofeminist Greta Gaard, as well Arne Naess, has been important inspirations. According to researchers Martin Hultman and Paul M. Pulé, promoting ecological masculine ideals (for example based on Naes’s, ideals of planetary and social empathy) is not only relevant when discussing individual standards - they should also be applied to discussions of societal structures. Ecologically conscious masculinities can be used to break down hegemonic structures that dominate the industrial western world, and provide an important building block in creating a society where consideration of our environment is the norm.
As both an artist and someone frequently hikes and skis in Åre, Sweden’s most popular destination for alpine vacations, Agdler’s text also contains reflections on the way we humans behave when we are in nature. His interest in pure nature photography waned in his teenage years. He started to find the two-dimensional picture a bleak copy of nature, which couldn’t compete with the joy of taking in the environment with all his senses. He ponders the difference between competition-based outdoor activities (sports) and non-competitive outdoor life (for example hiking or trekking), and finds, in line with Næss, this distinction to be important. Outdoor sports demand a focus on physical performance and does not necessarily increase ecological awareness in the way that peacefully being in nature does. He laments the exploitation of Åre’s mountains and forests in favor of new slopes, bike- and ski tracks and vacation rentals, and worries it will damage the sensitive nature irreversibly.
Can the words and pictures we use to describe nature influence how we (and especially men) behave in relation to it? In many cultures, the earth is considered feminine, and Agdler finds this one possible explanation of men’s legitimized exploitation of both nature and of women. He presents the theories of ecolinguist Aran Stibbe, who notes that many of Darwin’s militaristic and masculine metaphors, such as “the great battle of life” and “war of nature”, are still prominent in today’s discourse, as well as throughout history. This way of talking about nature could reinforce masculine ideals of selfishness and competition, rather than promote cooperation for mutual benefit.
Agdler considers it imperative to introduce men to ideals of reflection, discussion and caregiving already at a young age. Observations from kindergartens, made by lecturer and author Ingemar Gens in the 1990s, indicated clear differences in the way boys and girls are treated by the pedagogues – they talked much less with the boys than they did with the girls. When the pedagogues were asked to treat the children in exactly the same way, the boys’ verbal skills improved rapidly and they became less rushed in their play. On the basis of this, along with other pedagogical studies, Agdler argues that we must encourage boys to express and reflect upon their feelings as part of their education. He posits introducing a compulsory “caregiving” module as part of the national military service, which could provide young men with a solid groundwork to build upon in their later parenting.
But what masculine ideals does future hold? Who is the new man? Arne Naess, demonstrates a masculinity built upon the ideal of being both intellectually and emotionally engaged – of being non-dualistic and seeing both the individual and the universal, the subject and the object – which Agdler is deeply inspired by. He thinks we might have to move away from the current associations we have with “masculinity” and “femininity”, emphasize every human’s right to express emotions like fear and weakness, and stop worshipping the “strong”. Both men and women have to look deep into themselves to find the way forward – towards a sustainable relationship with nature and with our fellow humans.