Underappreciating Nature


Nature to me is one of the loveliest assets of this life. Being able to wake up every morning to a rising sun on the horizon is a real blessing – a blessing that most people seem to look past. Instead of admiring and appreciating nature’s work, nowadays all society does is complain. As Joyce Williams said, “You don’t believe in Nature anymore. It’s too isolated from you. It’s so messy and damaged and sad.” Really, we just view nature as an inconvenience in our day to day lives. Upon walking into school this time of the year, I hear incessant grumbles of, “I hate winter, I hate driving in the snow!” “It’s too cold for this #&%$” Well, maybe drive way slower than you normally would? Maybe leave your house a couple minutes earlier in the morning? Maybe bundle up and wear an extra layer or two? … just some suggestions.

Simply put, STOP BLAMING NATURE!

We blame nature for certain things when really we should be blaming ourselves. For instance, it’s not nature’s fault that you (fully aware of the amount of snow on the road and the capabilities of your car) decided to leave for school at the same time as always, expecting to make it before the tardy bell rings. The only time we truly praise nature is when we see it in a photograph, when “nature becomes scenery, a prop” (Williams). It takes something out of the ordinary for us to stop and say, “Wow, nature is so beautiful!” We simply can’t embrace its beauty; in fact we take it for granted. We destroy it, humiliate it, betray it, and refuse to acknowledge it until it’s far too late…

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