Nature and Man – The Synonym

From time to time we overlook what we do not understand. Our reaction on such occasions is mainly determined by our philosophy of life. Our philosophy of life, although inspired by various factors, few come to mind. Our philosophy of life kit has contextual tools such as tradition, mentors and role models, critical thinking and logic.

We generally perceive events based on images already existing in our heads and minds. Our thinking, attitude and choices are governed by mental images of the result we wanted or the one we believe exists.

We cannot interpret whether it is right or wrong, however, just as financial records indicate the true health of a business, the outcome of our choices gives us an unbiased interpretation of what we have done. Sometimes we insulate our emotions from unhealthy outcomes for various socioeconomic reasons. After all, why would we want to understand something that by not understanding it, our economic life is safe; even at the expense of millions and billions of other citizens of the earth?

So, to accommodate our excesses, we reassess what should matter. We pick and choose best practices based on convenience and personal interest. Sometimes we are challenged, other times the gentle souls that might represent the weaker parties against our orchestrations are sucked in.

Where am I going with all this? The truth is that each community, be it an ecosystem, biodiversity, humanity or an institution, is only as strong as its weakest part. By selectively removing the weaker parts, you will improve the strength stats of said community. But sadly, adopting that prescription when tackling humanity’s development problems will be tragic at best.

So how can we continue? We must begin by identifying that link between nature and man. For example, we define ecosystem as the dynamic complex of plant, animal, and microorganism communities and their non-living environment that interact as a functional unit. And we define biodiversity as the variability among living organisms within species, between species, and between ecosystems. An attempt to break down this splendid interplay of all the departments of nature to support life will expose functions such as the storage of carbon dioxide by trees, the provision of fresh water by certain organisms, the excavation of soil by of earthworms for crop yields, etc.

Now, when there was a dysfunction in the environment or among “ecosystem committees”, we experience some of the most catastrophic events in human history.

So where do we make that connection between nature and man? When man functioned properly, having the “truth vision” of life within him, he found cures for deadly diseases, stopped wars in endangered regions, stopped tyranny, encouraged world sporting events like the Olympic Games and the FIFA World Cup. When man functioned properly, he exhibited dominance over our divisions, sheltered our brothers, shared space shuttles, and supported himself. Even when our opinions were divergent, we held the same facts. We speak the truth. We acted like the natural ecosystem: we were a source of life for ourselves and nature.

But when man disagreed with himself, we had both world wars, we allowed genocide in Rwanda, we watched Sudan deteriorate: millions of women and children were killed, we bombed the World Trade Center and other shameful and catastrophic events.

And now we are fighting to protect the very things that keep us alive; the natural ecosystem and biodiversity. When we fail ourselves, we can forget, amend, and sign treaties. But if we fail in the environment, we may not be forgiven.

In the end, we must inform ourselves that intrapersonal and interpersonal relationships; as well as a sustainable relationship with our environment are imperative. We are safest when such relationships are seamlessly integrated and maintained with the highest level of stewardship and nobility. We may not share the same opinion. But if the facts we have are true and the actions we take are sustainable, life may not be so difficult.

But for us to seek global appreciation of others and our ecosystem, we must be true to ourselves. When we know that we lack that level of mutual appreciation, then we can look for it. Man only looks for what he lacks. No matter how fanciful we make the world, if it lacks the substance of life, humanity will forever live in fear.

We must learn to forgive. We must give. We must be hospitable. We must live in love. Let us share the burden of our ecosystem. Most importantly, let us surrender to the acceptance of the truth. Only when we know and accept the truths can humanity be sustainably free.

Some call this a life of good sense. Some call it kindness or honestly being a good person. It is not a categorical imperative. It is about the nobility. And with such a sense of nobility and stewardship, we can address development issues around the world. We can come together to protect our environment, improve living conditions in refugee camps in Darfur, and build sustainable businesses in Africa.

We can yield to the silent whispers of nature and men of good will to improve our lives and those of our children.

Whatever flies your plane or sails your ship; guide it towards the sustainable development of our world. And the people of the world would be happy that you came.