Respect for Nature
Written by: Tara Chamberlain, Language Arts Teacher, Romig Middle School
When I think about respecting nature the first thing that comes to my mind is my brother and I as kids gathering empty aluminum cans from the store parking lots around Anchorage. We would gather the necessary amount and then Mom would take us to the recycling center to collect our small cash incentive. At the time, I didn’t make the connection that what we were doing was good for our environment; all I knew was that I was going to be able to by a few blow pops from the store.
The other image that appears in my mind is also from my childhood, but this time I am a little older and I find myself living on Finger Lake in the Matanuska Valley. In the middle of the lake, there is a steep island with many lovely trees. Often, I would paddle to that island in order to escape the chaos that life can sometimes bring, and I would find contentment in watching the loons on the water or the trees swaying in the wind.
There are many ways in which we can respect nature; we can do it actively or we can do it thoughtfully. We can honor nature and give thanks when we share with others the lessons we have learned; how it has helped us heal and grow as spiritual beings. We can give thanks when we take time to be still and be a part of our environment.
“Once in his life a man ought to concentrate his mind upon the remembered earth, I believe. He ought to give himself up to a particular landscape in his experience, to look at it from as many angles as he can, to wonder about it, to dwell upon it.” – N. Scott Momaday
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