All life on this planet including, of course human life, was born from the natural environment. If we believe that life on this planet was not artificially created then we are products of nature. But isn’t there something really wrong with the path we humans are taking today with regards to our environment?
There are many theories about the origins of humanity. Some say that the first human appeared in Africa, others say that human beings appeared in various locations around the world at about the same time. Whatever may be true, it is indisputable that the human species was born in nature. Because of that, the further we alienate ourselves from nature, the more unbalanced we become. Our future as a species is grim unless we recognize this.
Our problem is not new. Civilization in the eighteenth century too was mechanical, too reliant on science, too concentrated on profit, distorting human life into ugliness.
Indeed, we want to be healthy. For that reason, we want to breathe air, to see beautiful flowers and greenery. We turn to nature for this, just as a sunflower turns to the sun. We must recognize that any action negating this inclination is a terrible mistake. All the money in the world won’t buy the blue sky. The sun and the breeze belong to everyone.
No one is denying that science has improved our lives. But we need to match the progress of science with progress in our environment to preserve and protect our environment. We need a balance. For instance, we must remember forests. Where does the oxygen that we breathe, that keeps us alive, come from? From forests, from sea plants. It has taken plants billions of years to create this oxygen.
What about water? Most of the water we use comes from river systems. Whether it rains or shines, water flows through rivers. Why? The trees and the soil around them absorb the water, storing it underground, from where it seeps constantly, bit by bit, into the rivers. If there were no forests and the mountains were hard as asphalt, all the rain that fell in a day would run immediately into the rivers and flow out to the sea, just like the bathtub emptying when you pull the plug.
Soil is another gift to the forest. Small animals and microbes help transform the dead roots and leaves of trees into rich soil. Without that soil, we could not grow grains or vegetables. We would have no food, and humanity would perish. Many other products come from forests. Without them we would have no rubber bands, no paper, no wooden desks or furniture, no homes. All of these too are the forest’s gifts. Forests produce the air we breathe, the water we drink, the soil in which we grow food. Indeed every aspect of our lives is made possible by trees.
The forests also produce nutrients that eventually make their way to the sea and become food for marine life. The forest protect the life of the sea. Without the forests all the rain water would take along with it all the silt from the mountains. This silt would cloud the sea waters, block the penetration of light, lower the sea’s temperature and in turn would kill marine life.
Life is a chain. All things are related. When any link is disturbed, the other links will be affected as well. We should think of the environment as our mother – Mother Soil, Mother Sea, Mother Earth. There’s no crime worse than harming one’s mother.
