The Human Scale and the Resistance to Mass Society

  Integrated Reflection: Humans Scale within a Mass Society

When I reflect on the influence of Romano Guardini, I continue to dwell on his concept of the “human scale,” which is easily swallowed up by our modern, mass-society structure. Guardini’s warnings about how a man is no longer the “Master of his own power” sit with me as I continue to observe contemporary public life. As humans, we often feel like little pieces in a massive technocratic machine, where the choices we make as individuals are ultimately inconsequential against the backdrop of the broader global systems.

To me, the sense of “mass-society” and isolation (concepts from Hannah Arendt) are the primary reasons why ecological conversion is so difficult. When we begin to lose the human scale, we simultaneously begin losing the sense of personal responsibility. To us, who feel so small, it is so easy to forget the “cry of the earth,” specifically because it seems too vast and something we let the experts control, rather than a garden I myself am responsible for taking care of. 

When referring back to my previous studies in philosophy and political theory, I can see why the “homogenization” of a society can lead to a loss of the uniqueness that comes from an individual's voice and opinion. This is what Francis seems to call for within his discussions of cultural ecology. By resisting the technocratic paradigm, it is said that small, personal actions begin to matter. For me, even though I am not necessarily an environmentalist, this realization changed my perspective on environmentalism, showing that it is not simply about saying the plant, but about preserving human agency in our everyday interactions with this beautiful world.

Furthermore, some questions at this topic makes me consider is, if environmentalism is about preserving human agency how does or is that able to make ecological a fundamental act of political and spiritual resistance?

Something that I personally do is, either through buying ingredients, I will choose a local and community-focused ingredient rather than one that is just convenient. I want to be able to live and acknowledge that the life that I live, and the choices that I make have weight on the world.

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