“Good medicine is any experience so memorable that it just has to be a gift from the spirit-that-moves-through-all-things.” Until recently, I have considered spirituality to be “oovy groovy woo woo” nonsense and have never really found my place within it. Previously, the idea of an omniscient someone or something seemed to be almost a distraction for culturing myself as a human. Only recently have I began to view nature as an entity, something greater than myself and capable of immense influence on my life. Something that will care for me and open my eyes. It has had such an adverse affect on my life that I would attribute the majority of “me” to its creativity and influences. Most of this influence has been instilled upon me in times of need, change or difficulty. The quote uses the term good medicine to describe the experience nature provides us with. For me, I wouldn’t characterize it as a medicine but more of an alternative therapy or a passive therapist. A medium that gives me the ability to reflect on myself and the path I have taken both physically and psychologically. This is the main reason it has taken me so long to view nature as an entity in itself. I have always selfishly applied it to me rather than applying myself to it; it is a gift, one that cannot be taken seriously enough. Nature gives all a chance and holds no bias to the ones only interested in what it has in store for them. The only thing it asks in return from us is our creativity and spirit. And as it gives us gifts, it is only right that we bestow our awareness onto it. As we take so much from nature, we must make the effort to give back in return; replicate the idea of symbiotic care that it so willingly gives itself to. Treating the areas we use with respect should never take a second thought, it should be as natural as doing your dishes after a meal or putting away your gear after a trip. Make it your mission to break the overlying theme of carelessness that is so prevalent in our society. The tragedy of the commons is not only destroying our world physically but subconsciously, it is breaking down our relationship with the earth on an emotional level. People no longer see nature as a thing to care for, but rather a resource to be exploited. Take time to care for OUR earth. Because that is what it is, not mine or yours or theirs but ours. By caring for nature, we affect ourselves as much as we affect others after us, whether they be human or animal. Be a revolutionary and make conscious efforts to care for the earth and in turn yourself, as well as others. Embrace the idea that all things are connected through a common medium, accept how truly at the whim of nature we all are. Represent our ability to give back to nature and live together with it. When this mindset and ideology are adapted to us as humans, we will be graced by untainted, memorable and meaningful experiences.
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Wilderness is not a luxury but a necessity of the human spirit, and as vital to our lives as water and good bread.- Edward Abbey Archives
March 2020
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