Most people love a good mystery, and I'm no different. The origin of the Universe and everything in it has been a philosophical mystery the human mind has contemplated for many centuries. There are primarily two schools of thought on the subject, the religious and the scientific. Regardless of which you believe, there is one thing that they both have in common: The close connection between humans and the natural world.
Most religions have a Creation narrative that tells how everything that exists was created by a God or Gods. If they are true, than humans and the natural world are closely related because they derived from the same source. The same could be said for the scientific viewpoint. If the Universe and everything that followed was created by the Big Bang, again humans and nature would be closely connected because they came from the same source.
Until very recently in our history, we had little choice but to live closely connected with the natural world. Our very survival depended on finding food, water and shelter from the elements which we had no control over and could not predict. The only way to achieve this was to live as harmoniously with Nature as possible. Many early cultures successfully managed to do just that. Gradually that would change, however.
As mankind made more and more discoveries and inventions, we began to bend and shape the natural world to suit us. We created artificial structures to live, work, travel and play in, with artificially controlled environments. Wild animals were domesticated and transformed into useful tools for our benefit. The natural world is being dug up, burned down, paved over and replaced with an artificial world of concrete, glass and steel.
Do you feel as though you are closely connected to the natural world? Do you feel that it's important to be?
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4 comments:
Hi Krys,
Great post! I was just saying to SIS Barb the other day, "Don't you wonder what all of this would have looked like before all these roads and houses and buildings were here? Like when it was just the Indians?" Here answer? "Beautiful".
It would be awesome to go to a place where everything is just as it always has been, except for the things that have changed naturally.
I do feel somewhat connected to nature, but not as much as I would like to be. I love to snorkel, to be under the water and not really hear a lot of noise and just watch the fish swimming and going about there business.
SIS Bren
Brenda,
Me too! I love being underwater, whether it's in a pool or at the beach, and I could sit and watch an aquarium for hours. Maybe in a previous life you were a mermaid? ;0)
What? And you were a merman? Do you think maybe underwater we could actually get along?
SIS Bren
Me, a merman? Hmm, interesting idea. We could get along fine -anywhere-, couldn't we? Maybe?
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