Heroes Not Zombies

What is “Nature”?

At this point in our human development there is an enormous tendency to objectify life, to fill our view of the world with objects, objects which we seek to grasp hold of, to own and/or to use. We treat Nature as one of those objects. It’s a place, somewhere to go to. It’s a resource to be used, even plundered. It’s where we humans landed, as if from elsewhere.

But Nature isn’t like that at all. Nature is our home. We emerged in Nature and we never leave. We are like the waves on the surface of the ocean, not like aliens who have landed.

How we think of Nature deeply affects how we behave. Are we consumers or gardeners? Are we conquerors seeking to control or inhabitants seeking to live?

It seems to me that treating Nature as an object to be controlled or consumed has brought us to this juncture….where we humans might make it impossible for our grandchildren and their grandchildren to live here.

It’s crucially time to change our relationship to this world in which we live.