We feel the beauty of nature because we are part of nature and because we know that however much in our separate domains we abstract from the unity of Nature, this unity remains. Although we may deal with particulars, we return finally to the whole pattern woven out of these.
Interpretation
Our appreciation of nature stems from our connection to it, recognizing our individual experiences as part of a greater whole.
This quote by Ernest Everett Just emphasizes the deep interconnectedness between humanity and nature. It suggests that while we may experience and interpret nature in our own unique ways, our understanding ultimately leads us back to the recognition of the unity of all living things. It invites reflection on the importance of this unity and the beauty that arises from it, encouraging us to appreciate both the details and the overall pattern of existence.
In practice
During a speech at an environmental conference, one could use this quote to highlight the importance of recognizing our bond with the natural world.
Far away beyond the pine-woods,' he answered, in a low dreamy voice, 'there is a little garden. There the grass grows long and deep, there are the great white stars of the hemlock flower, there the nightingale sings all night long. All night long he sings, and the cold, crystal moon looks down, and the yew-tree spreads out its giant arms over the sleepers.
The autumn leaves blew over the moonlit pavement in such a way as to make the girl who was moving there seem fixed to a sliding walk, letting the motion of the wind and the leaves carry her forward. [...] The trees overhead made a great sound of letting down their dry rain.
But we still find the world astounding, we can't get enough of it; even as it shrivels, even as its many lights flicker and are extinguished (the tigers, the leopard frogs, the plunging dolphin flukes), flicker and are extinguished, by us, by us, we gaze and gaze. Where do you draw the line, between love and greed? We never did know, we always wanted more. We want to take it all in, for one last time, we want to eat the world with our eyes.
Though men now possess the power to dominate and exploit every corner of the natural world, nothing in that fact implies that they have the right or the need to do so.
It is a stark and arresting fact that, since the middle of the 20th century, humankind has consumed more natural resources than in all previous human history
The garden has taught me to live, to appreciate the times when things are fallow and when they're not.
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