In the last few years, the human race has suddenly remembered that there is nature and it needs to be saved. Save Nature; – Two words which display human arrogance like nothing else, are the mission statement for many people, organizations and groups. Yes, these two words, ‘save nature’ are a perfect example of human arrogance on display.
How?
Nature has been around since the big bang (or whichever other way the universe was formed). We, humans, have been around for a few thousand years. Nature pervades every nook and corner of this universe the size of which we are still trying to comprehend. We humans inhabit a portion of the surface of one planet. We are just one of the billions of species that have ever inhabited the earth and we cannot live without the artificial environment that we have created. What makes us think that we can either destroy or save nature?
Forget about unleashing its wrath on us, when nature just plays little games with us, we struggle to survive. Little more rain than usual, little less rain than usual, a storm, crop failure, tsunami or a virus and we are struggling to save ourselves and we want to save nature? Seriously? What makes us think that we are more special to nature than any other species? Because we decided it?
We are not destroying nature, we are just destroying ourselves and not even realizing it. Have no doubts about it, nature is conscious, it sees and knows. It looks at our activities and does not like what we humans are doing to it. It is very patient but there is a limit to the patience of nature.
When (not if) it runs out, it will not take more than a few hours to get rid of us. All the pollution that we have spread, all the forests that we have cut, all the damage that we have inflicted on the environment will get repaired. Nature will repair itself at incredible speed but we will not be around to see it. That is what nature does, it heals itself.
Behave responsibly
So, instead of trying to save nature or save earth, our mission should be to behave responsibly with nature. More importantly, let us teach the coming generations to behave responsibly with nature.
I am a very selfish person. I want clean water to drink, clean unpolluted air to breathe, and healthy crops that grow in unpolluted soil. I want these things for myself and my children. How can I get that? By behaving responsibly with nature (and not trying to save it). So, become selfish in a good sense. And while we are at it, discard the thought of saving nature/ earth and imbibe the thought of behaving responsibly with nature.