Connecting to Nature Series, Parts 1-3

Connecting to Nature is a 3-part series that explores 3 major ways in which we are connected to the natural world that we depend on to thrive. These 3 parts ARE NOT exhaustive of the endless ways in which we are intrinsically connected to nature.

Part 1: What does it mean to connect with nature through stimulus and response? It's a constant cycle--there's a stimulus and response to said stimulus, then the response becomes a stimulus eliciting yet another response. Just like we experience this pattern, so does Earth's system. What we feel and how we respond can serve as stimuli for nature and vice versa.

Part 2: How do we connect to nature as one body? We've been disconnected long enough, seeing nature and all that happens in and to it separate from ourselves when that is far from the truth! In many ways, we see how something occurring on the other side of the world is indeed impacting where we stand today. From our small universes to the grander universal body, we are all one. We must grow in this understanding as our norms are challenged, our lifestyles altered, and our true selves seek to be known.

Part 3: What does it mean to respect nature at its core? Often, we see ourselves and our lives completely separate from the natural environment forgetting that the clothes on our backs, food on our tables, and materials that fill our lives come directly from nature! It is vital to see nature as a living entity that not only is intrinsically connected to us but also deserving of our respect and gratitude. Even if we have forgotten, we can choose to start respecting nature as it is and where it is just as we desire to be respected. We must reawaken to the truth--we are one.