This I Believe

Reverence for Nature

When I was young, I was fortunate to have spent eight summers at a camp in Ontario which provided canoe trips as its main activity. In addition to some lasting friendships, these excursions into a land of forests and lakes taught me the joys of outdoor activities and instilled in me a deep appreciation of the beauty to be found in nature.

I believe that the source of all things, material and spiritual, is nature itself. Every material thing that exists, including the material out of which we are made, comes from nature. Nature is the source of all information ranging from the infinitely small world of particle physics through the chemistry of matter and the biochemistry of life to the infinitely large world of astrophysics and cosmology. The more we understand the laws of nature and the information they contain, the greater the mystery and wonder of the unknown that lies before us. Nature is the source of truth, but since we cannot know nature in its entirety, we cannot ever make the claim to know “The Truth”. We can only proclaim our best judgments based on the knowledge that nature provides to us. The purpose of life is to use these best judgments to develop social institutions that enable us to assume individual responsibility for our collective governance, and to provide balance among the competiting values of justice, liberty, security, and equality. The endowments of nature are provided for the use of all individuals within all generations, and the function of economics, properly understood, is to use these endowments wisely for the long run benefit of humankind.

I believe that the root of evil lies in the idea that we can dominate and conquer nature. This idea not only leads to the destruction of the natural environment which sustains life, but it is also the source of the competitive spiral between individuals, groups, and nations, which destroys the social fabric. The ultimate end of the competitive spiral is the quest for empire, which inevitably ends in ruin, dramatically illustrated in Thomas Cole’s series of paintings “The Course of Empire”.

I believe that the mystery and wonder that lies in nature makes the invocation of the supernatural and anthropomorphic reference to a supreme being unnecessary. The question of the existence of such a being cannot be answered, and, in the last analysis, is unimportant. What is important is what we do with our lives to improve the human condition so that our species will survive and thrive on this planet in the long run. By creating the conditions that will enable succeeding generations to continue to unlock the mystery of nature is what gives life meaning, and it is only through the long-term development of our species in balance with the rest of nature that anything approaching immortality can be attained.

As I get older, spiritual matters are becoming more important, and I am thankful for my childhood experiences that taught me a reverence for nature.