Is Nature Against Us?

 In less than two months, two earthquakes have taken place very close to where I live… And I find myself wondering about our relationship with nature.

Our - meaning humankind.

When I was a boy, I used to be fascinated by what was happening around me and by how much we were able to build as a civilization. We built cities, roads, industries, machines… We transformed the world.

And, in the process, we destroyed almost everything - from animals to plants, from mountains to rivers, from ecosystems to… well, almost everything.

I suppose a sign of maturity came when I started to realize that something was wrong. The first time I consciously came into contact with this idea was when Ecology was introduced as a subject at school.

Today, we may see this awareness as a sign of civilization and wisdom. Only relatively recently have we begun to understand the damage we cause to Mother Nature.

And even today, not everyone understands it. It should have been obvious, shouldn't it?

After all, we have spoiled the water we drink and the food we eat. We have contaminated the air and the oceans. We have poisoned many of the very things that were supposed to keep us alive.

But, as I have mentioned before, a lack of individual and collective maturity prevented us from seeing what was happening.

For many years now, I have felt that our perspective should change. We should see nature as our partner.

We live together on this planet, and we are all dependent on one another.

We live from nature, and nature lives through us.

Nature does not exploit our species. So why should we exploit nature?

Perhaps what we have done against nature is not really “coming back to us” as some kind of punishment. Nature is simply responding.

And this reveals one of the most powerful lessons we may need to learn: nature is not against us. We are part of nature - and whatever happens to our relationship with it, eventually happens to us.

Creating a healthier environment

Some years ago, a good environment was a problem for the governments, caused by evil corporations, and of course you were a nice citizen who was not creating any problem for the environment.

That is no more. Nowadays, we are conscious and with conscience, responsibility comes and we know we have ways to help environment. Maybe it will look small, but there are many things on our hands, with our responsibility.

• Take care of  utensils, especially the ones made of plastic or expendable ones. As much as you can, use elements that are aligned to an attitude of sustainability and cut from your life those things that can pollute and spoil our environment.
• What about your clothes? Instead of throw away the old ones, give them forward – there is always someone who needs those things others don’t want.
• Do you waste food? It is time to cut waste to ZERO… it is possible, it just requires a bit of organization and planning. Also, if some food is not eaten, you can always give that to other people.
• Alternatives for what you have now. Study and research about the topic, which is actually very interesting. Maybe you can use solar energy for your Christmas illumination this year or change your heating system.
• Awareness. Behind the paradigm shift we are experiencing nowadays there is an awareness related to what is really good. Work on that, maybe by meditating or talking to other people regularly.

After all, this is still the only house we have, and it is our responsivity to do something about it.