Nature or Natural - A Human Perception
Nature to me is a place that feels not designed or created by man. I would not consider a pine tree farm as being nature, but if I went to the woods and came to a pine tree farm adjacent to the woods, I would not say I exited nature while entering the farm. I believe this is because nature to me is an experience as well as an object or entity, which I relate closely to the concept of natural.
I place mankind in nature, looking at the concept through a broader perspective. At a global level, I would say mankind lives in nature, with her fellow species. But nature on a global scale can also act as a force – as a whole. It is the sum of changes, what one could see from the moon and something with a peculiar tension to anything man-related. It is peculiar because we call on natures response to our actions. Like a hurricane or a flooding due to global warming. The global warming then is not nature, it is a phenomenon. And the effect is both a response from mother nature and sometimes something created by man. These ideas imply that a natural state has been disturbed. In this way nature has its own dynamic and course. The natural is, in this aspect, not only something derived from nature, but it also has to do with a biological path that is not disturbed. The natural as “as it would be, when nothing unnatural interferes” or untouched or even unspoiled. This perspective places humans outside the concept of natural and, at some point, becomes normative.
However, I wonder if once we were not a part of nature and as the eons have passed we continue to move away as far as possible. As mankind exists in nature, or at least in a part of nature, but often times we are shying away from having to deal with nature in its true sense, constructing barriers between ourselves and a true natural experience. We enjoy nature when we can control it but when we can no longer influence the outcome, then we prefer to call it a catastrophe or something unnatural, an anomaly. Perhaps, natural is something that is un-tampered with, that can act outside of humanity’s control as well, something that we haven’t been able to decipher in its entirety, and therefore can’t predict its outcome
References:
Image Credit: Mayank Bhogal - The Nature Exhibit
Image Credit: UN Photo/Logan Abassi - Thousands Displaced Due to Flooding in Cap-Haïtien, Haiti
Modern industrial countries (particularly the west) seem to me to almost have an ingrained antagonistic relationship with nature, displaying such dominance that "nature" now has silky, cute novel connotations, like "aint that cute". It aint, nature is a cruel fucker and while the argument always goes "animals only kill for food, humans kill for x" that's 1. not true and 2. what the fuck else are they gonna kill for, the deer's iphone?
I don't really consider the semantics important re: humans being part of nature, but in the common understanding we most certainly are seperate, which I think is justified because of consciousness and our ability to create.
One thing I find interesting is how the ever increasing disconnect and distance from nature has affected morality in the public consciousness. Today any vaguely selfish or contrarian action/whatever is enough to be deemed a sociopath (funnily enough lumping all these people under that umbrella term is effectively dehumanizing them just as sociopaths - or whatever the correct term is now - dehumanize their victims). There's this bizarre expectation for everyone to be selfless activists, which would be great, but not really how things work. The pure shock expressed when someone does something shitty is frankly hilariously juvenile (even while often justified).
Turning away from the vile cruelty of humanity people hold up "Nature" as some gentle nurturing... not even place, it's essentially become an abstract concept. Nature is essentially equivalent to any other field trip location to most, visited, pictures taken, back home.
The point I'm trying to make here is: have you ever seen a jellyfish? Fuck nature.
......ya fuck jellyfish
ya know?
I know it's kinda like saying "Hitler was a dick" in the sense that it should be known viscerally and instinctively as fact, but consider this: Hitler Jellyfish.
Maintain your laizzes fair blase attitude now son
lmao Dear group of 30-50 people who keep upvoting bbc comments: 1. He's in MY cabal. 2. Me too please.
bless this man money fairies
hahaha fuck yall
I didn't intend to be so contrary with this, kinda feel like a dick. I just start writing and stop once i think I have a decent punchline
Not touched nature, beautiful picture.
Yes I agree as there is something to be said of areas or an environment which remains clean from human contact. We are sadly running out of such places despite us being consistently romanticized by the notion of pristine original spaces.
oh my god a good poster
e: I'll post a real comment later it's just a shock to find yall sometimes.
Beautiful photo
It definitely is and only nature could manifest such intense beauty.
Humans at the atomic level is the same as nature itself. Human is nature. We are intertwined with everything around is even if we choose to reject such ideas. Our action then, almost always directly impact the habitat around us. Global warming is an issue like you mentioned. It is thus up to us to not only cease our destructive behavior but to educated and guide the generations to come to understand their impact on this planet.
@fugetaboutit Loving the way you think!
It is true that as a species we humans are a natural event but our collective action is what makes us so very un-natural to our environment and other species. We collectively choose to remain destructive. Not only to our own environment but also to each other. We are such a peculiar species ...so many opposites we are capable and yet we can be as insane and idiotic as we are damaging and deadly.
The only way to fight such and such is to share and give unconditional love to everyone.
Everybody wants to change the world, nobody wants to change themselves. Thus it is up to us to improve the world by sharing and giving love.
True there is so many negative emotions and motivations, especially from our elected officials who exhibit unchecked greed and selfish ambition. It would take either some massive cultural revolution which crosses global barriers to enact real planetary change. Class, race and ideologies would have to become secondary to a form of universal unity and appeal in order for us as a species to transcend our limitations.