Nature as teacher
by Theodore
“Within Nature rests an answer to each question and a solution to every problem. She provides for us all things possible. It is a relationship we must cultivate. We simply cannot take much more than we give. Any relationship with a spouse, child, parent, neighbor, or friend cannot succeed for long based on that formula. There must be balance. The circle must be complete. There must be mutual respect, love, and admiration. It comes from within. Nature constantly speaks to us, whispering words of wisdom and comfort. We only have to be still and listen.
Our failure to observe accurately and learn from Nature has brought us to where we are today—stumbling around in a dark room, taking directions from complete strangers hoping to profit from our lack of knowledge. It’s like us wandering around in a downtown metropolitan alleyway on a Saturday night and asking gangsters for directions to the nearest ATM. Someone’s going to profit from our disorientation, and it is not going to be us.
Disorientation from Nature is laughable, considering the his- tory of our species. From the dawn of man through Neolithic times, and even into the early 1900s, we were very much in tune with our environment, but our obsession with money, the industrial age, technology, and our ever-pressing expansion into urban living has damaged our relationship with the Earth. Rather than including Nature in all our constructional “progress”, it’s as if we are attempting to exclude her. As we bulldoze forests to put up another restaurant chain or shopping mall, a token tree or shrub is conveniently placed here or there for decorative purposes. Seldom is Nature welcomed into our homes and neighborhoods. This is something we must recognize and correct. Parking lots are a poor substitute for prairies.
Dedicating a small portion of time each day to Nature works wonders. Simply sitting underneath a favorite tree, gardening, or walking down a nature trail breathes healthy energy into our spirit. It connects us with Life.
These days are here for us to feel all things. These days are here for us to understand the language of mutuality within everything. We must enlighten ourselves by clearing our minds of social clutter, setting free the origins of our intent. Forget entertainment. Forget laws. Forget registered realms of normality. Let us allow all the purity we’ve denied for too long. Let us become part of all we’ve met so that a sense of familiarity comforts our greatest fears. Nature is our greatest teacher if we sit still long enough to hear her speak.”
The above piece is a excerpt from Son of a Farmer, Child of the Earth, by Eric Herm.
