Brainstorm Week 9

During week 8, we learned about la panchamama or Mother Earth and why it's so important for us to co-exist with her. This week's content revolved around buen vivir or good life given the context of the indigenous people of North America. In Indigenous Matters, Dian Million mentions "In fulfilling their nation's needs, leaders are prized for maintaining balance in their relations with all entities, whether land animals, marine life, birds, water, trees, moss, and so on" (Million, 100). This demonstrates how indigenous individuals have a completely different perspective on la panchamama and care deeply about her. It is imperative to respect and take care of nature in order for society to prosper and have a sustainable future. In addition, in Introduction: Defining Mexican American Goodlife Writing, Priscilla Solis Ybarra discusses how "the Mexican American and Chicana/o culture enacts values and practices that include nature all along" (Ybarra, 7). This illustrates how the idea of buen vivir is especially important for Latina Americans as they have maintained a healthy relationship with nature. Society can learn from this group of individuals as they deeply respected la panchamama unlike European colonists who exploited the land of the New World. Both of these readings combined articulate the concept of buen vida and the importance of respecting Mother Nature.