A Little Something More about Our Culture
In our modern technological culture, Nature has become something of a concept. It is a pretty picture we put on the wall or an animal we support with the click of a button online, projecting ourselves onto its evolutionary plight. Afraid of recognizing the animal within us, we have isolated ourselves in an artificial world that we rule. Focused on societal expansion, humans have built with little concern for the consequences. But in that existence we have separated ourselves from the magical, minimizing and rationalizing the immense magnitude of the universe. This way of life comes with a price: anxiety, guilt, loneliness and a general sense of emptiness. We see disruption as the enemy. Time and change are elements we try to defeat. Instead of embracing them and their power of discovery, we often try to eliminate them. Instead of inspiring and teaching each other to find the positive in what may feel like situations beyond our control, we propagate the message that life is unfair and someone else is to blame. Instead of seeing possibilities for growth and wisdom, we try to sanitize our lives, believing that every obstacle, every challenge, is a threat to our assumed rights to happiness. We are products of Nature. We are bound to it, dependent on it and are hungry for it. Not only is Nature our food source but it is also the source of our sanity. It is the Great Book of Life and within it are the guidelines for understanding ourselves and learning to live in a meaningful way. Above all, Nature reminds us of what matters most: love, compassion and caring for ourselves and all that surrounds us.
