Braiding Sweetgrass, de Robin Wall Kimmerer

Un libro maravilloso, del que creo que lo que se obtiene es fundamentalmente paz, respeto por la naturaleza, y ganas de salir de la vida apresurada y de reintegrarse a la vida anclada en la tierra.

Wall Kimmerer hila historias de la biología de las plantas, de la sabiduría indígena, de sus mitos de la creación, o de la economía occidental con el cariño de una madre. La gratuidad con la que la naturaleza nos entrega sus dones, y con la que por tanto debemos distribuirlos, y el agradecimiento por esto, son los hilos conductores de todas estas historias.

Nos recuerda que la gratuidad crea lazos de amistad, mucho más potentes que las transacciones comerciales. Y que esos regalos deben volverse a regalar, para que aumente su valor.

p26. A gift creates ongoing relationship. As the scholar and writer Lewis Hyde notes "It is the cardinal difference between gift and commodity exchange that a gift establishes a feeling-bond between two people".

p27. That is the fundamental nature of gifts: they move, and their value increases with their passage. ..The more something is shared, the greater its value becomes. This is hard to grasp for societies steeped in notions of private property, where others are, by definition, excluded from sharing.

p28. But in the gift economy, gifts are not free. The essence of the gift is that it creates a set of relationships. The currency of a gift economy, is, at its root, reciprocity. In Western thinking, private land is understood to be a "bundle of rights", whereas in a gift economy property has a "bundle of responsibilities" attached.

O que la generosidad no sólo es una virtud moral, sino también material:

p381. Generosity is simultaneously a moral and a material imperative, especially among people who live close to the land and know its waves of plenty and scarcity. Where the well-being of one is linked to the well-being of all. Wealth among traditional people is measured by having enough to give away. Hoarding the gift, we become constipated with wealth, bloated with possessions, too heavy to join the dance.

E insiste en la necesidad de ser agradecidos. Como hacían los Haudenosaunee, de los que trae la Oración de Acción de Gracias, fantástica, y que además les servía para negociar:

The Haudenosaunee have been recognized for centuries as masters of negotiation, for the political prowess by which they've survived against all odds. The Thanksgiving Address serves the people in myriad ways, including diplomacy. Most everyone knows the tension that squeezes your jaw before a difficult conversation or a meeting that is bound to be contentious. You straighten your pile of papers more than once while the arguments you have prepared stand at attention like soldiers in your throat, ready to be deployed. But then The Words That Come Before All Else begin to flow, and you start to answer. Yes, of course we can agree that we are grateful for Mother Earth. Yes, the same sun shines on each and every one of us. Yes, we are united in our respect for the trees. By the time we greet Grandmother Moon, the harsh faces have softened a bit in the gentle light of remembrance. Piece by piece, the cadence begins to eddy around the boulder of disagreement and erode the edges of the barriers between us. Yes, we can all agree that the waters are still here. Yes, we can unite our minds in gratitude for the winds. Not surprisingly, Haudenosaunee decision-making proceeds from consensus, not by a vote of the majority. A decision is made only "when our minds are one". Those words are a brilliant political preamble to negotiation, strong medicine for soothing partisan fervor. Imagine if our government meetings began with the Thanksgiving Address. What if our leaders first found common ground before fighting over their differences?

Y que a nosotros nos debería servir para educar a nuestros hijos:

The Thanksgiving Address describes our mutual allegiance as human delegates to the democracy of species. If what we want for our people is patriotism, then let us inspire true love of country by invoking the land herself. If we want to raise good leaders, let us remind our children of the eagle and the maple. If we want to grow good citizens, then let us teach reciprocity. If what we aspire to is justice for all, then let it be justice for all of Creation.

Además, creo que el principal mérito del libro es convencernos de las virtudes de esa vida compartida y respetuosa con la naturaleza a través del amor y el respeto, no de los sermones. Así, aunque no todo lo que dice me parece totalmente correcto, es imposible enfadarse.

Por ejemplo, creo que pinta de un color excesivamente rosa esa vida indígena, sin hablar de las adversidades o la menor esperanza de vida. Y tiene demasiada desconfianza en el mercado:

p376. The shortage [scarcity] is due not to how much material wealth there actually is, but to the way it is exchanged and circulated. The market system artificially creates scarcity by blocking the flow between the source and the consumer. Grain may rot in the warehouse while hungry people starve because they cannot pay for it. The result is famine for some and diseases of excess for others.

Como bien indica Sen, no hay habido hambrunas en democracias de mercado, sí en dictaduras planificadas. En todo caso, su alternativa es la economía del bien común, la de Ostrom...que me parecen admirable, pero difícil de imaginar en un mundo superpoblado y urbano. Incluso podríamos pensar que esa economía más amable quizá no hubiera podido dar lugar a una sociedad del bienestar como tenemos ahora...aunque eso ya es pura elucubración.

Eso sí, creo que es un libro que se disfruta especialmente si se lee cerca de la naturaleza. Mirando al mar, como lo leí yo, o viendo un prado o un bosque. Leerlo en una ciudad puede producir una urgencia de escaparse a lo mejor difícil de encajar.