Nature is Healing: Why We Need to Fix Our Relationship With Nature

In today’s society, everything is fast paced. We want things as quick as possible. We have an ever-growing addiction to materialism. Our main focus is consumerism and disposability. We mindlessly buy things and throw them out without a second thought as to where they go. With the increase of technology we are even more of a disposable society. We want the new version of everything. We want faster texting, faster Internet, and faster results. While all of these advances are helpful in many ways, it is creating a disconnect among humans. We are moving further and further away from our roots with nature. It is so easy to go through the hustle and bustle of life and completely miss the natural wonders all around us. So much of the way we live today focuses on dominating nature. We don’t want to climb the mountain we want to “conquer” it. We either eat or cage animals. We cut down trees. Pollute our water and air. We have this misconstrued perception that we control nature. But the truth is, without nature we would not even be alive. We need it to survive. Yet we are slowly ruining our environment. I think it is important that we all try to make an effort to get out in nature more. If we learn to appreciate what’s around us, we may start to think twice about destroying it. Nature has the ability to heal and pull you away from the clocks of society to just be. Nature also has a way of reminding us how insignificant our problems are. If you’ve ever laid out on a clear night and looked up at the stars, you realize we are just a small speck spinning through the universe. It helps you live in the moment and appreciate the small things in life. Nature is always there, waiting and yearning for people to just open their eyes and embrace it. Nature also brings inspiration to people. Thoreau said, “For I believe that climate does thus react on man- as there is something in the mountain air that feeds the spirit and inspires.” Thoreau is showing how the beauty and power of nature can be easily reflected through people. The more wide-open spaces, magnificent views, and powerful weather there are, the more people will be inspired. The grander scale of nature can reflect one’s imagination, thoughts, intellect, and emotions. So my question is, when nature has the power and ability to spark all of these things in us, as well as keep us alive, why would we destroy it? We need to learn how to advance as a society while also preserving the nature around us.

The author McKibben wrote an essay called “End of Nature.” He talks about how nature is losing its mystery and independence since humans are trying so hard to control nature and the weather. McKibben feels like he is becoming trapped in society with nowhere to escape to. He even brings up the issue of global warming and how the sun we feel also carries the guilt that we are creating holes in the ozone layer. Man affects nature in every way and that is how things will always be until we run nature to the very edge of its existence. Despite his overall fatalistic view of nature coming to an end, McKibben does leave a little sense of hope for the issue. He says that humans can choose to stop following the path we have been for so many years. The earth has limited amounts of natural resources, therefore we need to slow down on our productivity and consumption to try and conserve what little we have left. However, changing our ways is not going to be enough. Society will need to make some “mental adjustments” and realize that we are not the most important creatures on this earth. McKibben says, “The momentum behind our impulse to control nature may be too strong to stop. But the likelihood of defeat is not an excuse to avoid trying.” He says that we need to start making the changes right now to limit our wants and desires so that nature can go back to working it’s natural ways. McKibben ends this essay by talking about the stars. He talks about how man has managed to control and destroy the environment around us, yet the entire universe above us remains an untouchable mystery. Sure, we have managed to travel to the moon, and technology is able to look at planets far away. However, outer space still holds a deep mystery that remains to be unconquered by humans.

The famous poet Ralph Waldo Emerson had a very strong relationship with nature. In some of his essays, he talks about how every person should take time to be completely alone in solitude so they can truly appreciate the sun, moon, stars, and trees.  He also mentions how many people think they can own the land and certain parts of the earth, but it’s really just a false claim because nature cannot be owned by anyone. Emerson says nature is connected to spirit because it can help someone look within and discover his or her true self. Emerson talks about moral guidance from nature when he says that “In the woods too, a man casts off his years, as the snake his slough, and at what period soever of life, is always a child. In the woods, is perpetual youth.” This idea suggests that if everyone in the world could truly connect to nature we could all gain a little bit of our innocence in life back. This could even bring out the good in people and reduce all the hatred and destruction.  Emerson talks about how nature is in perfect harmony to create life for humans and everything works together in a way that helps us. The circle of life in nature is what provides life for us, which is why it is connected to the spirit and should be appreciated. He even goes so far to say that nature can be medicinal and provide a sort of cure to people who are stuck in buildings all day working.

Nature is sacred. We need it. We need to evolve with nature rather than destruct it. In some ways we are heading in the right direction. People are increasing their awareness on sustainability and preservation. However, we still have a long way to go. The sooner we learn everything is connected, the better off future generations and we will be. So everyone, please, get outside and breathe some fresh air. I promise it’ll do some good.