Write a paragraph on our relationship with nature. Pl need it urgntly.

Great hopes, fears, and doubts rest on the Copenhagen climate conference. Personally I’m rather hopeful. Some years ago ozone depletion was making headlines and we managed to avert disaster on that front. I don’t see any reason why couldn’t pull off the same with CO₂emissions.

But whatever the outcome, I feel that’s missing the point.

The High-Tech Holy Grail

Let’s for a moment fast-forward to an ideal future, say in 2100, where cold fusion and nano-tech has enabled us to create a veritable heaven on Earth. We’ve managed to avert the climate crisis, the water crisis, the nuclear crisis, multiple economic crises, you name it.

Now surely with practically limitless clean energy and the power to create just about anything from just about anything, we would finally be at peace with each other and with Nature, right? I’m not so sure…

What if all the 15 billion people on the planet suddenly decide to flick their nano-tech magic wands and move into four-story mansions? Or how would a cold-fusion enabled World War look like? And would we be able to live in peace with our Muslim neighbors who just zipped over at light-speed to experience the winter here? Looks like we’d still have some challenges left.

Bring in the Band-Aid

We think like engineers. We see a problem, we fix it. Global warming? Cut down on carbon emissions. Fossil fuels? Let’s try bio-diesel!

I don’t feel at ease with that. Stopping the bleeding is important but if the patient is cutting himself, band-aid won’t help. We’ve cut ourselves apart from Nature, from each other, even from ourselves.

Returning Home

Children grow up depending on their home and family for everything. Entering adulthood we fight for independence as if our family ties were bonds holding us back. And having found ourselves in the world, one day we finally return home to live inter-dependent with each other.

Perhaps humanity simply needs to return home. To be the sons and daughters of Mother Nature, brothers and sisters of all life.

Next time we wander in the woods or stand on the mountaintop, let’s look around and recognize what we see as our home and who we meet as our siblings. Let’s end the war we wage with each other, ourselves, and Nature, our great family.