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Book excerpt: Robin Wall Kimmerer's 'The Serviceberry' champions gratitude for nature

From CBS News · () English

Translated from English, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

In-depth Named sources Context piece
  • Robin Wall Kimmerer's new book, "The Serviceberry," explores gratitude and reciprocity with nature.
  • The book draws on Indigenous knowledge, emphasizing a "culture of gratitude" and the consequences of dishonoring nature's gifts.
  • Kimmerer suggests cultivating gratitude could be a solution to climate catastrophe and biodiversity loss.

Indigenous botanist Robin Wall Kimmerer, renowned for her bestseller "Braiding Sweetgrass," delves into the profound relationship between humanity and nature in her latest book, "The Serviceberry." Published by Scribner, the work champions embracing gratitude and reciprocity, urging readers to recognize and share the abundant gifts the natural world offers.

I have no claim to these berries, and yet here they are in my bucket, a gift.

— Robin Wall KimmererIntroducing the concept of nature's gifts and the principle of reciprocity.

Kimmerer illustrates this concept through the simple act of gathering serviceberries. She explains that the berries in her bucket represent a vast network of gift exchanges, involving everything from the soil and microbes that nourish the plant to the birds that disperse its seeds and the pollinators that enable its growth. This perspective aligns with the "culture of gratitude" inherited by many Indigenous Peoples, where life is structured around acknowledging and respecting earthly gifts, both ceremonially and practically.

Many Indigenous Peoples, including my Anishinaabe relatives and my Haudenosaunee neighbors, inherit what is known as "a culture of gratitude," where lifeways are organized around recognition and responsibility for earthly gifts, both ceremonial and pragmatic.

— Robin Wall KimmererExplaining the Indigenous cultural framework of gratitude and responsibility.

"The Serviceberry" posits that recognizing "enoughness" is a radical act against a consumerist economy that constantly pushes for more. Kimmerer highlights the paradox of global food abundance coexisting with widespread starvation, suggesting that equitable sharing could meet fundamental needs. She points to ecopsychological research indicating that practicing gratitude can curb excessive consumption and diminish feelings of scarcity.

Enumerating the gifts you've received creates a sense of abundance, the knowing that you already have what you need. Recognizing "enoughness" is a radical act in an economy that is always urging us to consume more.

— Robin Wall KimmererDiscussing the concept of sufficiency as a counter to consumerism.

Ultimately, Kimmerer proposes that cultivating gratitude might offer a pathway to addressing the pressing issues of climate catastrophe and biodiversity loss, which stem from unchecked human consumption. By fostering a sense of sufficiency and respect for nature's generosity, she suggests, humanity can move towards a more sustainable and reciprocal relationship with the planet.

Climate catastrophe and biodiversity loss are the consequences of unrestrained taking by humans. Might cultivation of gratitude be part of the solution?

— Robin Wall KimmererProposing gratitude as a potential solution to environmental crises.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by CBS News in English. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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