The Downfall of Nature: How it Resurrects Within Ourselves
I am sure everyone has heard the following question at least once, what is the meaning of life? Even though this question has been used multiple times for multiple reasons, there is one question that should have the same recognition if not, more, what is the basis of life? If you are having trouble figuring this out, let me give you a hint. The answer only consist of one word and this term has been underestimated for decades and we finally realized the benefits that it can actually give to us due to the lack of humans not caring about it, the word is nature. Nature is by far the most important resource that any living organisms need and we as a human race has been using it for the sole purpose of “developing society for the better”. When in reality, we are hurting a major resource that we need to survive and are underestimating the true value it can give to us as a person, and especially as a child growing up.
After reading Richard Louv’s book, Last Child in the Woods, I personally agree with Louv’s concept about Nature Deficit Disorder. That again, nature is so underrated for how useful and beneficial it actually is. In addition, even though some people do care about the environment, the majority of others do not and I personally feel like this is what’s really dragging down the concept of nature. Where people are only using it for its advantages and not seriously taking in the beauty and the overwhelming sense of bliss that it produces. Moreover, the effect that nature can bring upon a child growing up is nothing but good for the long run. Where the outdoors can have a lasting impression on them that they would stick with it and hold onto it for the rest of their lives. That nature and the outdoors is not only important to humans in need for survival, but for the needs to blossom into a person where we once thought we couldn’t become, where children can enhance their imagination and creativity, along with the intentions to be happier with themselves.
In this book, Louv describes how people in this day and age do not realize how helpful nature really is, not only for adults, but for developing children too. That growing up as a child and being surrounded by nature is very valuable because it can help them develop all their senses, be more creative, and conform them into becoming a better person for themselves compared to the kids who are not familiar with nature. For example, “Nature presents the young with something so much greater than they are; it offers an environment where they can easily contemplate infinity and eternity”. Just from this quote, it explains how nature and the outdoors can have a positive impact on a child while they are still developing. That the child has an environment where their mind can wander off and let imagination and creativity take over. Moreover, nature is something that everyone must care about in order to really get its true value, that having people use it for its resources is only demeaning its worth. But yet, what makes nature so special is that it stills shows its true beauty no matter what, that having personal interactions with it for the good will only result into better things for yourself. That nature is a place where adults and kids can go to relieve any stress they have, help build a sense of worth in themselves, and build a connection that only brings out positivity for the rest of their lives.
In addition, people treat nature as if it is something that can be passed on, that humans will invent something to replace it, but that is truly not the case here. The day that nature disappears from our sight is the day where we lose connection to the natural world. Not only would that day marked the end of something beautiful and momentous, but that could also be the day where human civilizations cease to exist. For instance, a website called, LIVESCIENCE, wrote an article saying that “climate change poses a “near- to mid-term existential threat to human civilization,” and there’s a good chance society could collapse as soon as 2050 if serious mitigation actions aren’t taken in the next decade”. From this, it can be seen that once nature reach its breaking point, not only will the restorative products that it gives us will be gone, but so will human beings too. That we have already done so much damage to the environment and if we continuously do it, in a matter of time, nature will take its revenge on us. Not only does this thought seem scary, but it already has scared climate scientists for decades. For example, “Most mornings, she could not get out of bed, despite having four children to tend to. She would sob spontaneously. She obsessed about the notion that the US government would take no action to address climate change and confront its consequences”. After reading this quote, it is pretty fair to assume that climate change is making a real impact not only to the planet itself, but to human beings who actually care for it. That people nowadays are too oblivious to see the bigger picture because they are all caught up in technology and how it will “save” us in the future. But the saving can not wait any longer, it ultimately comes down to either taking action right now, or facing a very consequential problem later down the line.
But as for now, our focus as a society should not be towards the future, but it should be the present. The more people who worry about the pending future, are the ones who have less time to enjoy what can only be described as a blessing, nature. That people who enjoy and appreciate nature are the ones who are happier with themselves and their surroundings, along with the possibility of carrying that sense of euphoria with them throughout their lifetime. For instance, “But Sobel, as an expert on nature’s role in education, suggests that nature’s life-instructions provides a mysterious and probably irreplaceable quality” and “Though self-confidence and awareness can come from experiencing nature, the generations do not go to nature to find safety or justice. They go to find beauty. Quite simply, when we deny our children nature, we deny them beauty”. In these two quotes, Louv demonstrates how nature can have a lasting imprint within ourselves along with how it symbolize beauty. And I truly agree with this 110%. That the main purpose of nature is not about the creatures who live in it and how it links to a natural cycle, but to build a connection with it yourself and to take in the feeling of peace that it provides. Where humans are naturally attracted to things that give them a sense of happiness and the feeling of purpose. That once a person is able to find their true joy in life, they stick with it because they fear that once they lose it, they lose it forever.
In the end, even though people are slowly escaping the grasp of nature, it will always be a place where one can go to soothe their mind. To be able to escape the reality they were once in, to become something bigger than themselves. Where nature and the outdoors is the basis of life for all living organisms. That even though there are a good amount of people who still underestimate the true capabilities of what it has to offer, it will always be around for anyone who wants to experience it first-hand. This is only possible though if humans are able to hop off the technology bandwagon and actually focus on the environment and its health. If not, nature will ultimately become our biggest threat that we as a human society will have to face within the upcoming century or so. But then again, we should not focus on the future and what’s to come, but to focus on what we have today. That as time goes on, so does the feeling of hope. Hope is defined as a feeling of expectation and desire for a certain thing to happen. This is one of nature’s biggest producers. At the same time, it is also its worst enemy. Why? Because nature is a place where the unknown lives. It has its own nooks and crannies that humans may never see and its where fear lives. But you see, once a person is able to overcome their fear, they get a glimpse of hope. They become more aware of what they are capable of doing and they get the sense that nothing is impossible. This is nature. It is a place where a person is able to go in with pieces in their life torn apart, only to come out as a whole.
