“And we who embody the local eyes and ears and thoughts and feelings of the cosmos we’ve begun, at last, to wonder about our origins. Star stuff, contemplating the stars organized collections of 10 billion-billion-billion atoms contemplating the evolution of matter tracing that long path by which it arrived at consciousness here on the planet Earth and perhaps, throughout the cosmos.”
So said Carl Sagan, the Astronomer and Science writer in his 1990 TV Series “Cosmos, A Person Journey.”
The point being, we are all a part of the natural universe, and in particular, here on earth we are a significant part of the natural world all around us. Every piece of everything around us is where we, like all other species on this planet, have come from.
The food we eat, the materials we use to build our world all come from the same place… star stuff. We can enjoy our world, care for it, take it for granted or destroy it. How we act, how we treat all things in some way ultimately connects us to our past. Only now, because there are so many billions of humans, we also determine our future and the future of life on earth.
Nature brings us beauty and the fruit of nourishment life needs to survive, and we must appreciate it with love and compassion while we also respect its power and fragility.
Nature reminds us of this amazing place, our earth, that provides a sense of awe and appreciation. The more we support natures survival, the more we assure our own.
All animals in the wild who are predators only feed or take from other species what they need to survive. It is only Man that takes more, destroys more and diminishes nature for fear and greed. We must learn to recognize the need to balance our needs with the needs of future generations.
Like in nature, we must maintain sustainable, renewable participation with nature and keep it in balance for our own survival.
When we do, we can even expand the value and beauty of our world for generations to come.
Looking up at the stars on a beautiful clear night, without the lights of our cities to diminish the nights sky filled with star, planets, constellations, is no different than looking closely at a flower or a stunning natural landscape that reminds us we are but a small part of an amazing universe. One that when truly contemplated, allows us to realize just how small and insignificant we are as individuals in the big picture. Nature also reminds us how stunning it is to be alive.
That is why I’m so grateful for Nature, because when we look deeply, it can remind us of who we are in the grand scheme of things.
