Thirteen Paces by Four Quotes

“As I move slowly along a woodland edge, or through a meadow, or within a patch of scrubby heathland; as I get low to the ground to observe insects feeding on their herbs of choice; as my joy ratchets up towards ecstasy… As all of these things happen, I find my feet, knees, and hands sinking into the soil and my soul being consumed by the habitat. And I find time passing only to keep flying creatures from falling out of the sky.”
― Joe Gray, Thirteen Paces by Four: Backyard Biophilia and the Emerging Earth Ethic

“The potential for experiencing pleasure is without limits, and the well of previously unknown beauty essentially bottomless. For—when free from modern life’s clouding distractions, and released from its obstinate grasp—one can tune into nature’s wavelength and experience her every breath, from the bobbing flight of a wagtail to the thundering cascade of a waterfall, as a new thrill. In these timeless moments, as one receives pulse after exhilarating pulse from the ecospheric orchestra, philosophy becomes redundant, just as life’s meaning is made abundantly clear.”
― Joe Gray, Thirteen Paces by Four: Backyard Biophilia and the Emerging Earth Ethic

“If you have a deep care for the world around you, not only will you find many like-minded humans but you will also be part of a much larger family of Earthlings.”
― Joe Gray, Thirteen Paces by Four: Backyard Biophilia and the Emerging Earth Ethic

“Knowing too much and caring without bounds—these two things, for a human Earthling, are intertwined and inseparable.”
― Joe Gray, Thirteen Paces by Four: Backyard Biophilia and the Emerging Earth Ethic

“Everything points towards a choice between a significantly downscaled future for humans or very little future at all.”
― Joe Gray, Thirteen Paces by Four: Backyard Biophilia and the Emerging Earth Ethic

“I am proud of my role in the life of the backyard as much as one can be proud of anything where the vast part of the creativity lies in the work of beings other than oneself, and where one’s main contribution is to leave other agencies to flourish along their own paths.”
― Joe Gray, Thirteen Paces by Four: Backyard Biophilia and the Emerging Earth Ethic