It seems to me that we’ve been placed in, or exist within, quite an incredibly harmonious set of self-regulating relationships. These often beautiful landscapes of rolling hills, dramatic mountains, exquisite lakes, dense forest ecosystems, or vast expanses of wilderness. All spun round in these gentle rhythms of night and day, winter and summer, warm and cold, and the varying climates that embrace the globe. All of which brings forth this abundance of plant life that sustains us with nutrients, shelter, clothing, air, and beauty. Then the intriguing variety of animals that seem to work together to regulate these environments, co-existing creatively and wisely in the balance of the natural world.
Within all this, humanity appears as this strangely independent creature who is nevertheless quite dependent upon it all. I suppose it’s hard to receive something so beautiful and complex that you have not earned and cannot claim to control – hence perhaps our desire to master it, to assert our independence and understanding.
So far the natural world seems to have been fairly resilient in the face of our actions, although we are seeming quite out of balance compared with the example set by nature itself. It’s fair enough I think to seek to understand, to try to get involved and maybe tweak things a bit. Hopefully that’s done with a sense of balance, reflection, and duty of care.
I mean, we could take what we’ve found, run it into the ground for the sake of displaying our capacity and freedom, cash it all in for one big party while we’re here. I just feel there’s greater wisdom, greater strength in self-restraint; in knowing that we could do that, but deciding not to. For me, “because we can” was never a compelling reason; although it seems to be one that holds sway in many quarters.
It’d be nice if humanity could open its eyes just a little more to the amazing gift we have in life and the immense responsibility and beauty of learning to work together in overcoming this desire to dominate purely for the sake of it. The sense of logic and power may be prevailing at times, but I feel that in the human heart the inclination towards greater harmony and collective restraint could still win out.