June 5th happened to be World Environment Day. So to commemorate it, I did what I do best: Research.
I read about this annual UN-organized event, and interestingly, this year’s theme was “Connecting people to nature”. The UN was saying that people should get back outside and connect with the great outdoors. The prevailing message I got from this theme was that it was imperative for us (that’s you and me and the next person too) to fall in love with nature afresh and anew. This message actually resonated deep within me and I had to share this refreshing outlook on this beloved paperless blog.
A lot of times, it feels as though eco/ global warming activists, myself included, propagate this message of earth sustainability in a fearsome, and almost morbid way. I know not everyone does, and it doesn’t always happen, but a lot of times, it does happen. You hear chants of “protect the environment”, or “save the earth” or “go paperless” being backed up with the reasons like ‘so that we (humanity) don’t all die off’ or “so that the world, as we know it, does not end’ and the likes. But, how many times are we told because ‘the earth is just worth loving’, or because ‘the world is beautiful or nature is amazing’. Even on this blog, I don’t say it enough. I get that self-preservation is a big motivating factor behind promoting a sustainable environment, but that shouldn’t be the major or only driving force.
Truth be told, when you love something enough, you’d want to protect it as your own, as a protective hen would over her chicks, because It’s precious. If more people actually fell in love with nature, they wouldn’t want to harm it. They would want to care for it and reduce their carbon footprint. Nobody would have to tell them to recycle their plastic or plant trees or use energy efficient appliances or use paperless business forms in their offices instead of wasting paper, and the list goes on and on.
But, most people don’t actually enjoy the world around them fully, to love it. In this world of “smart-everything”, it’s easy to ignore nature made beauty, it’s ever so simple to forget that it is even there. If we embrace nature for all that it is, and all the beauty it possesses, we would want to preserve its charm.
So how exactly are some ways you can connect with nature, you may wonder? Try taking a hike in the mountains, or going to your local park to just sit and think, taking a dive in a lake, walking through the forest, playing with animals at your local pet store(or even adopt one) and other such things. Anything really that will disconnect you from mundane busy metropolitan life, and connect you with your natural surroundings. There is so much beauty that you have yet to tap into, that I’m certain of. You won’t regret it!