While it's been hard for me to wrap my mind around this discussion group's focus, I'm enjoying it so far, particularly the sutras from Alaska. I'll just have to let them stream for a bit. In teaching the basics of environmental systems I've found the earth systems approach can be helpful in focusing learners on basic dynamics and feedback loops of this planet's ecologic systems. Being a hydromancer, I've always assummed water to be alive, certainly worthy of wonder if not worship. And it certainly passes the McClellan litmus test of being something that moves.
Lumpers tend to look for common denominators, patterns, wholeness.
While more a Lumper than a Splitter, it seems as though both are somehow wrong. Neither this nor that. Not lumping nor splitting. Not eternalism nor nihlism. In the proverbial relative world dualism seems to serve a purpose by establishing coordinants that can serve as reference points.