One Nature to rule them all — Letter #1

Dear Ricardo,

How are you? I hope all is well with you and your loved ones.

I wanted to write you this letter because the other day I thought of an amazing topic and I was curious about your take on it.

Have you ever noticed how different our world must feel from the raw, untouched world the first humans encountered? All these materials, textures, colors, drawings, symbols, designs, forms, technologies… All new, products of generations. It’s somewhat cool to say one wants to take a step back, reunite with our animal roots and with nature. But what would be of us if these creations were not the product of our generations? Isn’t this result inevitable? Aren’t we innovators by nature and, thus, innovating and making civilization more different from what it was thousands of years ago are, in fact, the ways to be in constant touch with nature?

As if nature isn’t everything. Literally, every single thing that exists must be natural. A salad that mixes different types of vegetables and fruits doesn’t become less natural because it’s a mix of different elements. A cooked fish isn’t less natural because it went through the industrial process of cooking. It’s all part of the same nature; and not just elements of the periodic table and amazing processes that you can learn in a Physics class, but actions too. Actions are nature, because they derive from an organ and are executed by our body. There’s nothing about our actions that’s unnatural. Hence, the consequences of our actions are all part of nature, too.

This to me means that we should spend less time constantly evaluating the fitness of everything into this abstractly defined concept of Nature, judging our way into some kind of promised Heaven, where we’d finally be one with Mother Nature, our God.

Of course, one of the benefits of religion or religious thinking is the sense of meaning that it gives. If everything is natural and every act is a natural act, in the absence of traditional religions, what holds the souls of these people?

Anyway, sorry if it feels nuts or confusing, but I had to share it with someone. As I said, I’m curious to read your thoughts on this.

All the best,

Francisco

Read Ricardo’s response here.