The Sacredness of Nature
My spiritual strength comes from the sacredness of nature, from its powers to heal and renew, uplift and transform. That awareness gives me the strength to continue to fight for the health of our planet. And it helps me to remember the WHY of environmental work, what exactly is worth all the fuss.
Put differently — I intentionally choose to live primarily in the body of nature’s beauty, power, and inspiration, rather than in the body of nature’s perils and impending doom. While I certainly understand the importance of seeing our world’s troubles honestly and clearly, and the parallel importance of always following the science, that’s very different from dwelling in despair, anger, and disempowerment.
That is why, for my life and work, I choose to dwell in the authentic celebration of nature’s awesome powers to inspire our minds, renew our hearts, and heal our aching souls.
In the same way that honest reporting of environmental destruction requires courage — it also requires courage to maintain an attitude of positivity, gratitude, and commitment to helping to save our planet. It might seem easier, at times, to give up and live in despair. Yet it’s essential we remember there are genuine reasons for hope — the ideals of young people and the resilience of nature, among others. That awareness is crucial if we are going to do the enormously hard work of protecting our planet and the living creatures it supports, including the species who dares to call itself Sapiens.
Some may criticize my attitude as unrealistic and Panglossian. While I certainly recognize that there are dangers to being overly optimistic, just as there are dangers to being overly negative, I don’t feel at all unrealistic. No, I feel that this attitude embraces the whole of our world, with all its potential. So let’s be honest about the problems we face while also celebrating the miracles around us. For if we environmentalists are too negative, we risk losing our way — as well as our courage to make the necessary changes happen.
And we also risk losing our ability to persuade others to join the cause of protecting our living planet. We have a much greater likelihood of convincing others, people who may be in denial about environmental crises, if we adopt a stance of passionate celebration of nature and all her wonders and inspirations — combined with candid recognition of the challenges we face. That stance is, at its cone, welcoming rather than condemning. And it’s also empowering for all people who are brave and generous of heart, encouraging them to make choices that could help to turn the tide for our beloved by beleaguered home.
What I’m saying boils down to this: We really CAN save our planet and many of its complex ecosystems and wondrous creatures. But that will happen only if enough people believe two things — that the sheer brilliance of Earthly life is really worth making sacrifices to protect; and that we really do have the power to prevail.
