Ethics in the Good Life-Nature is Our Friend

“A land ethic, then, reflects the existence of an ecological conscience, and this in turn reflects a conviction of individual responsibility for the health of land.”

-Aldo Leopold

Mother Nature bears all of the fruit and life of the earth-literally. Nature supplies all of our resources. Nature retains originality. Nature simply keeps us and our planet alive. Why is it then that humans tend to resent and destroy nature?

The question brings up interesting thoughts. Can the good life be obtained without the protection and even involvement of nature? I believe that we need nature in our lives. Nature supplements aesthetics, health, and connection. Before humans took over the world, nature dominated the landscape. Now a days, humans feel fear venturing out in to nature itself. In fact, humans feel that the indoors are safer, even though indoor pollution is two to ten times worse than outdoor air pollution (Richard Louv, Last Child, 2005). Children prefer computers and video games, since parents assume that all of these activities are “safer”.

The good life requires stepping out of the safe zone and that is the main problem that society encounters. The good life demands creativity and service to something other than one’s self; this begins with nature. Nature has shapes that are undefined, experiences that are connected yet arbitrary, and life that is beyond one’s own imagination. The good life requires all of these facets because that is how one learns to grow and respect. Interacting with nature more would also be very behooving to humans in that nature increases economics and solves pollution issues in a sense.

The overall point is that children and adults should interact with nature more. I notice myself among my friends that my friends tend to sit in areas where there is no grass or vegetation. It is baffling though. Answers such as, “it’s not sanitary”, or, “there are bugs”, are some of the many responses that I have heard amongst my friends. How sufficient are those answers however? Yes, society has progressed mightily in regards to construction and technology, but according to the good life, in my definition at least, one must learn and retain some of the past, live in the present, and work towards the future. Nature is part of all three features, so it is only natural that humans should respect and affirm themselves more with nature.

The landscape is deteriorating at an extrapolative rate, but there are areas as to where humans are improving. Bolivia for example is giving legalities to its greenery and landscapes, where they must be respected. This circles back to Leopold, in that humans must see themselves as citizens instead of conquerors (The Aldo Leopold Foundation, Land Ethics). Bolivia is instituting that nature has legal rights, and that nature has the equal status to human beings (EWAO, Bolivia Gives Legal Rights to Earth). This is progress nonetheless, but humans still need to find more ways to both interact and protect Mother Nature.