Nature has everything to do with the experience of being human, because an immersion in nature or a withdrawal from it will totally define a human's life. The degree of involvement in nature by any particular person will (most likely) totally define someone's personality. This defining quality also effects how a person views him or her self, and even dictates what it means to be a part of the human race. Whether or not a person is religious, an involvement in nature tends to create a sense of an all-knowing power, and can instill a feeling of awe deep within a person's soul. This tie to the natural world defines every human.
Every man, woman and child sees the world around them differently, even if they are seeing the exact same things. As John Bowker states in God: A Brief History: "Seeing God in and through the natural order is common throughout the world... even if God is believed to be distinct from the natural order". This explains the way in which humans use the natural world to define themselves. Even though it tends to be the view of Americans and other highly technological societies that humans have conquered the natural world, that is far off of the truth. Natural disasters prove to some that God exists, and to others exactly the opposite, but to all it is a display of the great power of the natural world.
To a man in the past, nature was the life giver. In the times of hunter-gatherers, men needed nature to support their families and communities, but many times the women of the very same community were scared of the destruction that nature could bring without so much as a second thought. By exploring this view of the natural world and contrasting it to our thoughts on nature today, it is easily seen that nature has effected our life to a degree unimaginable by today's standards. On the show Life After Humans it is stated that in just a few short years of the absence of humans, the natural world would reclaim what it has lent to the human race, so our culture as a whole must respect the world around us, or eventually be claimed by the greatest force on earth.
I completely agree with your statement that nature defines our personality, whether you spend time around it or not. We are derived from nature and our very instincts are the closest thing we have to it. Humans today have entirely forgotten that nature is what provides us food and shelter and is what started everything. If it wasn't for mother nature, the human race or any race fir that matter would be existing on this planet. As a result of our ignorance through recent generations nature is getting more and more mistreated and disrespected and soon will vanish with everything that it created. If only we could wake up and realize this.
ReplyDeleteYou FNI! In my own life, I have felt nature become a significant part in shaping the way in which I see the world. However, I often wonder if this perspective is only shared by those who have had the oppotunity to connect with a place that is natural and sacred. I wonder, do city dwellers see skyscrapers or the absense of trees? Do these people feel less fulfilled because the have a greater connection to grey pavement than any sort of greenery? It seems that many do not actively feel this loss, but that does not mean that it is not present. My views on the value of nature agree with your passage whole-heartedly. However, I do wonder if it is fair that the glass is half-full when filled with trees and half-empty when it shows a cityscape. Beauty, after all, is in the eye of the beholder.
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