The Human Animal

Many people operate under the assumption that as human beings we are above Nature. Our desire to control our environment is one of the most manifest ways in which we display this. People get into their cars and if it's too cold they turn up the air conditioning so that it becomes warmer; if it's hot they make it cooler. We build houses which separate us from the elements and for good reason. There is no intrinsic problem with behaving this way, however, it's not the behaviour that is the problem, it's the attitude which has developed surrounding our actions. The attitude doesn't just stem from this reality, but from a perception that is perpetrated through ancient beliefs. Ones which have most likely been bastardized. For instance, the belief that we were made in God's image and no other entity on this planet, let alone any other planet, were not, is a fundamental component of our current attitude towards nature.

Other beliefs have stemmed from this attitude, such as our mechanistic reductionist paradigm which permeates all of what many, if not the majority, consider true science. It's amusing though, as when an individual closely examines these beliefs, one can start to understand that there is perhaps more to the story than meets the eye (or the unquestioned reality). First off, we may very well be made in God's image, but this doesn't exclude that everything in the universe was made in his image and we are but a part of that image. Does this not seem like a more inclusive and intelligent way of looking at reality? When did humanity become so egotistical that we should place ourselves above Nature in such a way that we are but a little lower than the angels? The answer seems to be one that lies in the eons which have past during our journey through existence. Perhaps taking it one step farther is required. There are still problems with viewing oneself, or the universe around us, as having been created in someone's image. For one, it implies an ego of the creator to have required their creation to be like them and this seems contrary to something which is perfect, or at the very least inclusive. Having an ego is something that many would agree is a source of much suffering. Just taking a glimpse around you at people interacting can give good argument for riding yourself of ego.

What this eventually boils down too is a perspective of ourselves which is inclusive of all of existence and the understanding that we are but a facet of that. Our part to play in the universal milieu is not one which is teleological. We exist, just as all things do. The reason for the way we are is not to be like God, but to be what we are and to take part in the universe. Separating ourselves from Nature is a disease of human proportions. It's interesting that we are capable of hurting ourselves in such an all encompassing fashion, but even though for countless ages we have thought of ourselves in this separate manner (especially in western and European cultures) there has always existed people who have understood the beauty and the power which comes from being part of Nautre and the dangers of separating oneself from something so fundamental to our existence. This line of thought predates the separatist beliefs. Before we could corrupt ourselves with the lies that make us feel special, we knew without knowledge that everything was part of the whole. We took part and still do, even in the face of this disease, in the workings of the universe. It may now be against our collective will, but there is no way to truly separate our species from where it came. If Nature was not our creator then it would seem the distance would be one with clear distinctions, but the more we learn empirically the more one is inclined to accept the truth that our ancestors knew without knowing.