There is no word for
nature in my language.
Nature, in English, seems to refer to that which is separate from human beings. It is a distinction we don't recognize. The closest words to the idea of
nature translate to refer to things which support life. It is foolish arrogance for humans to think themselves superior to all the life-support system.. How can one be superior to that which one depends for life? Humans have invented marvelous technologies. The result has been that parts of the world live in unneccessary and debilitating surplus while people in other parts of the world are dying for lack of food, clean water, and shelter. Priorities need to be redirected so that people who have plenty need not feel shame while others hunger and die. There should be no homeless or hungry people anywhere in the world. Those in power need to address this deplorable situation. We are fellow travelers on this earth...We live in an era when far too much money is expended on the military. Even as we enter a time of increasing potential for peace among the major powers, military expenditures remain grotesquely high. The purpose of these high military budgets must be the anticipation of violence. As a mother I demand that our sons not be raised to die in war. War is irrational, its causes suspect. If we are to live on this planet we must eliminate warfare, which is harmful to
all living things.I would urge the whole concept of
nature be rethought.
Nature, the land, must not mean money; it must designate
life.
Nature is the
storehouse of potential life.of future generations and is
sacred. Human societies already possess the technologies neccessary to provide food, clothing and shelter for everyone. The organization of
distribution of wealth needs to be repaired, for that imbalance destroys both contemporary and future human life and nature. Western society needs to prioritize
life-supporting systems and to question its commitment to
materialism, Spirituality should be our foundation... -
AUDREY SHENANDOAH, ONONDAGA
