Is nature sacred?
Whether or not nature is sacred depends on who you ask, and many people will likely have differing opinions on why it is or isn’t. Some would even say it is not sacred at all, but if you ask me, I say it is. When I stumble upon a beautiful place or come across an old tree my first reaction is that these things should be preserved. Something that has existed in peace and beauty for so long should not be disturbed. It really does pain me to see someone chop down a thousand-year-old tree with no regard or appreciation for how long that organism has existed. There is a respect for nature that has not been present in western culture for a very long time, and you can call me a tree hugger for believing trees shouldn’t be chopped down, but there are ways for humans to exist and grow without feeling the need to conquer every patch of grass we can find.
The people who once roamed these lands we’ve claimed for ourselves believed nature is sacred and they placed great value in respecting and preserving it. Instead of adopting these beliefs, we decimated them along with everything else that gets in the way of avarice. For so long nature has been a tool to be exploited rather than a partner to be cared for. Our species has acted as a parasite on this planet, doing nothing to contribute to the diversity or wellness of our environment. If human beings viewed nature to be sacred then we probably wouldn’t be missing half of our coral reefs and jungles.
Many religions, especially eastern ones, hail the importance of respecting nature and associate nature with God in order to give it importance and value. Connecting god to nature automatically makes nature sacred and is effective in teaching people the importance of our environment. Buddhism is one of the better examples of a teaching believing nature is sacred, and even goes as far as to say if you don’t value the lives of invertebrates then you aren’t compassionate. This type of compassion taught by Buddhism has always attracted me, and if more people thought like this, I truly believe the world’s problems would be solved. It is a shame that the Buddha wasn’t as popular as Jesus back in the day.
Shintoism is Japan's indigenous religion and like many other indigenous religions focuses on nature and its important connection to the spiritual world. This belief personifies nature and attaches spirits to the physical world so that human beings will respect what is around them. A lot of indigenous religions also believe in repercussions for disrespecting nature or angering the spirits found within nature. I find it strange how across the world there are these indigenous spiritual beliefs that all share the same appreciation for nature. I think today we have forgotten our debt to mother earth, and instead of feeling thankful for all that has been provided to us, humanity feels entitled to the Earth’s riches. If only greed hadn’t ruined the world am I right.
I think that nature is sacred...it is to me, at least. I've always loved trees since I spent so much time in the woods as a kid. I think it's unfortunate that someone may use religion to justify not caring for the planet, but like you said, religion can also be used for the opposite. I think that our desire to respect our natural surroundings can and should be entirely independent of religion. If we knew with 100% certainty, for example, that in 100 years there wouldn't be a single tree left, I think that most people would feel deeply disturbed by that (even though they wouldn't be around to see it).
ReplyDeleteUnfortunately, I think a lot of people don't care because they don't think these issues are real. A lot of conservatives, though not all, don't trust the media or even scientists because they believe all of the information is a part of some evil liberal agenda. In my opinion, we need more republican allies. At the end of the day, if people don't trust the messenger, they won't trust the message. Fortunately, these republicans do exist. I was fortunate enough to find a former republican senator over the summer who was hosting an online event centered around republicans fighting against climate change. He has a website and everything. I'll try to find it and maybe post it on here. Anyways, it gave me hope!
That word needs reclaiming, from those who've equated it with something divine and supernatural. "Sacred" can better be understood to mean life-giving, precious, finite, vulnerable... check, check, check, and check for nature.
ReplyDeleteI was raised most of my life as a Buddhist. What has always intrigued me with the religion is yes the connectedness of one to the earth, but more importantly the practice of individualism and ability to value what YOU would like to value instead of letting a third party tell you what you should value. I truly think that if more religious church gatherings implored people to value what is important to the individual more people would begin to advance environmental agendas forward. I wish that western religious practices were less involved with the human greed of the individual "making it to heaven" and instead focused on the here and now. In that case I do believe that many people would understand within themselves that their here and now is belongs to the earth.
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed reading how nature connects with religion, as it is something I have not thought about much. I agree with you on the point that if we adopted these beliefs and actually all appreciated nature and acknowledged how much it has done for us, then the world would be a much better place.
ReplyDeleteFrank Lloyd Wright: "I believe in God, but I spell it n-a-t-u-r-e." But I don't think he was a pantheist, he was just a nature enthusiast. Like so many of us.
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