“We need nature more than nature needs us. It should be looked upon with awe and humility.”
This quote is by Sadruddin Aga Kahn, who was a statesman and activist.
I recently took my first long walk outside since last fall. I live in a northern state and in the winter I exercise inside and wait until the weather is milder to do activities outside. As I write this, the signs of spring where I live are daylight lasting longer into the early evening and temperatures generally becoming warmer, or at least not as cold as they were a month ago. As I walked along the trail that goes through the woods near where I live, I thought about how I enjoy watching the changes that happen each spring. The leaves haven’t peaked out on the branches yet, but it won’t be long until the leaf buds will form and a few days later the leaves will appear. And whereas now I can see quite a ways into the woods, before much time passes the vegetation will be too thick to see very far. Each stage has its own beauty.
As Kahn says, we need nature. Spending time outside connects us with nature, and we experience it with all of our senses. We smell the fresh air and the aromas of wild flowers and new vegetation. We see the various shades of green of the trees, bushes, vines, and grasses; the sky, with its clouds and sunrays; and the birds of many different colors and sizes, some small like the sparrows and some large like the Canadian geese. And perhaps there is a lake or stream that is part of what we see as well. Through our sense of touch, we feel the sun’s warmth, the breeze, the firmness of earth as we walk along. And we hear birdsong and the leaves moving in the breeze. Being in nature provides a welcome change from being inside, where many of us spend much of our time, be it at jobs or at home. Being in nature re-energizes and refreshes us.
The places where I take walks, including the woods near my home, are relatively unpretentious as compared to well-known nature areas such as national parks and monuments. Such places have spectacular scenery, majestic mountains, and many square miles of protected beauty, and I’m thankful those areas are preserved for many people to experience and appreciate. Whether it be a well-known nature area or the woods near me or whatever outdoor spaces are near each of us, we should look on them with awe and humility, as Kahn says. For they add much to our quality of life, often more than we realize. We need to value and be thankful for them.