The Enduring Wisdom of Wendell Berry

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When despair for the world grows in me
and I wake in the night at the least sound
in fear of what my life and my children’s lives might be,
I go and lie down where the wood drake
rests in his beauty on the water, and the great heron feeds.
I come into the peace of wild things
who do not tax their lives with forethought
of grief. I come into the presence of still water.
And I feel above me the day-blind stars
waiting with their light. For a time
I rest in the grace of the world, and am free.

“The Peace of Wild Things” by Wendell Berry

Earlier this week, the great American poet, essayist, novelist, farmer, and environmental activist Wendell Berry passed away at the age of 92. Author of dozens of books, Berry was best known as an outspoken advocate for the American agrarian ideal and a strong proponent of humans’ relationship with the land. A lifelong farmer in his native Kentucky, Berry wrote extensively about Americans’ unique responsibility to the land, given their extraordinary resources and natural riches.

I first came into contact with Berry while working on my master’s degree in the early 1990s. My thesis, titled “Wilderness and the American Character,” focused on the works of Wallace Stegner, Gary Snyder, and Berry. I was particularly interested in Berry’s consistent urging that we be in an active relationship with the land. Berry believed it was not only our right but our responsibility to walk softly on the earth and preserve all of nature’s bounty, especially in a country as vast as ours.

As this period in my life also coincided with my coming of age as a trail runner, I was particularly inspired by Berry’s unapologetic belief that we are merely guests on this earth. As I began to discover the ancient trails of the U.S. East Coast, then the legendary trails of the American Southwest, and ultimately California’s Gold Country trails, I was constantly reminded of the importance of paying respect to these wild places we are privileged to run through, as they truly do make us free.

On Tuesday afternoon this week, upon hearing the news of Berry’s death, I got out for a soul-cleansing run at a local park here in Corvallis, Oregon, where I now live. As I ran along the dusty trails paralleling the mighty Willamette River, I was acutely aware of the sound of the rushing water beside me, the chirping of the birds above me, and the crunch of my footsteps beneath me. In that moment, I couldn’t help but rest in the grace of the world, and I felt free.

In Wendell Berry’s honor, I hope everyone has a chance to take time this weekend to enrich their relationship with the natural world. I hope everyone can tap into their senses, wherever they are running. I hope we all can realize the liberation that comes from simply letting go.

Bottoms up!

Call for Comments

• Has Wendell Berry’s work influenced the way you look at the world?

The Enduring Wisdom of Wendell Berry by Andy Jones-Wilkins.