Many man made institutions such as religion and culture seek to separate us from the very thing that we are biologically and undeniably a part of, Nature. Nature is the intricate ecological network which we are solely reliant on for our daily sustenance. As Wordsworth says,
Of something far more deeply interfused. Howevwer, Religions such as the Judeo- Christian Religion teach us in Genesis that we are superior to Nature. Genesis 1:28 reads" And God blessed them: and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it; and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the birds of the heavens, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth (New American Standard Bible). In addition to this urge to subdue nature, the Judeo Christian Religion, oft emphasizes how the flesh, that of Nature is the carrier of evil, this prompting many Christians to deny their flesh, their nature and aim towards a heavenly, other wordly existence. There is only one problem, with this attempt to deny, subdue and exploit nature. We are dependent on it, and we are a part of it.
Wordsworth in the "Lines written a few miles above tintern abbey" appears to be suffering from his separation from nature. Wodsworth was intimate with nature as a young man, and now has a disconnect with nature. These forms of beauty have not been to me,As is a landscape to a blind man's eye:But oft, in lonely rooms, and mid the dinOf towns and cities, I have owed to them. Upon returning to nature, Wodsworth was met with a sense of joy "While here I stand, not only with the sense Of present pleasure, but with pleasing thoughts that in this moment there is life and food.
"That in this moment there is life and food" "That in this moment there is life and food"
This is an amaizng line to read in the 21st century, the eon where humanity is faced with starvation, lack of nutrition, war, overpopulation, deforestation, climate change.
That in this moment there is life and food
Nature provides a closed loop of equilibrium, when we exclude our selves from this loop and render our selves superior to this natural equilibrium, there is no life and no food. We extract from nature more than it can replenish, we massively deplete our soils, pollute our waters, fill our biosphere with carcinogenic and toxic chemicals. We fight natural "checks" with medicine and technology thus increasing our population and decreasing the Earth's resources. The only way in which we will be able to return to equilibrium with nature, is if we see ourselves as a part of nature. Until we understand, as Wordsowrth did the value of nature. Nature serves aesthetic purpose, instrumental purpose and therapeutic purpose. Wadsworth alludes to the therapeutic power of nature, which we often deny and replace with savy technology. The mountain, and the deep and gloomy wood,Their colours and their forms, were then to me An appetite: a feeling and a love, Nature provided Wordsworth elevated thoughts; a sense sublime. We need to respect and appreciate nature not only for its instrumental value, but for its therapeutic value to us. The more far removed we come from nature, the more we hurt ourselves. We cannot alienate ourselves from the very thing that sustains us, and allows us to live our "superior human" lives. We replace nature with still, sad music of humanity.”evil tongues,” “rash judgments,” and “the sneers of selfish men, We need to embrace the spoken words of Wadsworth and instill a “cheerful faith” that the world is full of blessings. Separation from MOTHER nature is not natural.
Below is the painting the Haywain 1821 by Constable, painted approximately 2 decades after Lines Written a Few Miles Above Tintern Abbey.This painting depicts the "social harmony that has arisen between man and the natural world"(The Hay WAIN, www.icons.org.uk). Constable painted this in response to the vast urbanization of London, which he was not fond of. He preferred the symbiotic relationship with man and nature, than a hiearchy between the two
Of something far more deeply interfused. Howevwer, Religions such as the Judeo- Christian Religion teach us in Genesis that we are superior to Nature. Genesis 1:28 reads" And God blessed them: and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it; and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the birds of the heavens, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth (New American Standard Bible). In addition to this urge to subdue nature, the Judeo Christian Religion, oft emphasizes how the flesh, that of Nature is the carrier of evil, this prompting many Christians to deny their flesh, their nature and aim towards a heavenly, other wordly existence. There is only one problem, with this attempt to deny, subdue and exploit nature. We are dependent on it, and we are a part of it.
Wordsworth in the "Lines written a few miles above tintern abbey" appears to be suffering from his separation from nature. Wodsworth was intimate with nature as a young man, and now has a disconnect with nature. These forms of beauty have not been to me,As is a landscape to a blind man's eye:But oft, in lonely rooms, and mid the dinOf towns and cities, I have owed to them. Upon returning to nature, Wodsworth was met with a sense of joy "While here I stand, not only with the sense Of present pleasure, but with pleasing thoughts that in this moment there is life and food.
"That in this moment there is life and food" "That in this moment there is life and food"
This is an amaizng line to read in the 21st century, the eon where humanity is faced with starvation, lack of nutrition, war, overpopulation, deforestation, climate change.
That in this moment there is life and food
Nature provides a closed loop of equilibrium, when we exclude our selves from this loop and render our selves superior to this natural equilibrium, there is no life and no food. We extract from nature more than it can replenish, we massively deplete our soils, pollute our waters, fill our biosphere with carcinogenic and toxic chemicals. We fight natural "checks" with medicine and technology thus increasing our population and decreasing the Earth's resources. The only way in which we will be able to return to equilibrium with nature, is if we see ourselves as a part of nature. Until we understand, as Wordsowrth did the value of nature. Nature serves aesthetic purpose, instrumental purpose and therapeutic purpose. Wadsworth alludes to the therapeutic power of nature, which we often deny and replace with savy technology. The mountain, and the deep and gloomy wood,Their colours and their forms, were then to me An appetite: a feeling and a love, Nature provided Wordsworth elevated thoughts; a sense sublime. We need to respect and appreciate nature not only for its instrumental value, but for its therapeutic value to us. The more far removed we come from nature, the more we hurt ourselves. We cannot alienate ourselves from the very thing that sustains us, and allows us to live our "superior human" lives. We replace nature with still, sad music of humanity.”evil tongues,” “rash judgments,” and “the sneers of selfish men, We need to embrace the spoken words of Wadsworth and instill a “cheerful faith” that the world is full of blessings. Separation from MOTHER nature is not natural.
Below is the painting the Haywain 1821 by Constable, painted approximately 2 decades after Lines Written a Few Miles Above Tintern Abbey.This painting depicts the "social harmony that has arisen between man and the natural world"(The Hay WAIN, www.icons.org.uk). Constable painted this in response to the vast urbanization of London, which he was not fond of. He preferred the symbiotic relationship with man and nature, than a hiearchy between the two
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