Estimada Laia: Chapter 4 Nature

The concept of nature is probably one of the biggest missunderstood concepts of our time. Many see nature as an alien, a separate part from. A mere stock of resources and living things there for our joy and so call "development".

We are nature, as nature is all living and no living matter. We depend on the atmosphere to regulate the flow of gases and sunlight, on oxigen to breath, on the soil to grow food, on oceans and forests to breath and maintain the Earth as a habitable place.

The messages held by religions of love and the responsible use of God's creation did not landed into our behaviour and commitments to our environment. The individualistic profit of the natural space and content, and the pursue of goal empty growth or employment, has been used to justify atrocities and must murders of other species.

Our superior intelligence has been focused too much on dominance, on the irresponsible exploration of limits and progress, with little room for protection, care and love for the commons. Gratefulness is an empty word when our actions make only harm, and little time or human resources are dedicated to the respect and restaurantion of the century standing damage of the miracle of the Earth.

Knowing a little about space and the likelihood of life in nearby systems make even more remarkable the lucky list of unlikely circumstances that make Earth a benevolent place to live. The brightest and more powerful minds look at Mars with hope, while the Earth burns under man made fires, the glaciers melt and corals dry up. Mars is the likely mirror of an Earth we forgot too often to care and love.

From the reduccionist view of humans and animals, cities and nature... we need to shape urgently our minds and hearts towards the celebration and protection of our environment. Prosperity yes, but one that last generations and not quarters. Employment yes, but meaningful and service oriented jobs that make life healthier, safer and easier, not the opposite. Innovation, yes, but the one that is driven by love and responsability and not arrogance or reduccionist view of the world.

In our inefficient definition of efficiency, our narrow definition of progress, there is much to celebrate in activities that coexists with a nature that is diverse, general and specific, resilient and slow. We are nature, despite the decouppling of our hearts with our environment and the technodistopic illusion that we are not longer matter dependent.