“One touch of nature may make the whole world kin, but usually, when we say nature, do we mean to include ourselves? I know some people would say that the other kind of nature–trees, hills, brooks, animals–has a kindly effect. But I’ve noticed that they then often contrast it with the world of humans and their relationships.”
(WILLIAMS [1980], 2005: 67)
Humans are essentially part of nature, but there is no waste in nature; there is death, decay, evolution, and regeneration but essentially everything works to support the larger ecosystem.
The excess with which humans are exploiting our natural resources is generating irreversible damage to the planet that sustains us, yet there is still a lack of urgency to change our way of life. The media is frequently telling us that we must protect our wildlife, but the truth of the matter is that nature is resilient, nature can evolve long after humans have exhausted their own resources. This poem by Sara Teasdale was written during WWI but it resonated with me deeply, reflecting on our challenges today.
There Will Come Soft Rains
Sara Teasdale - 1884-1933
There will come soft rains and the smell of the ground, And swallows circling with their shimmering sound;
And frogs in the pools singing at night, And wild plum trees in tremulous white,
Robins will wear their feathery fire Whistling their whims on a low fence-wire;
And not one will know of the war, not one Will care at last when it is done.
Not one would mind, neither bird nor tree If mankind perished utterly;
And Spring herself, when she woke at dawn, Would scarcely know that we were gone.
Our current culture portrays nature as an antidote to the pressures of modern-day life, we are reminded to embrace the outdoors for the good of our mental health which accentuates how far from nature we align ourselves.
“Apollo 8, the first manned mission to the moon, entered lunar orbit on Christmas Eve, Dec. 24, 1968. That evening, the astronauts-Commander Frank Borman, Command Module Pilot Jim Lovell, and Lunar Module Pilot William Anders-held a live broadcast from lunar orbit, in which they showed pictures of the Earth and moon as seen from their spacecraft. Said Lovell, "The vast loneliness is awe-inspiring and it makes you realize just what you have back there on Earth." (NASA)
Current media reports on the climate crisis can leave us feeling overwhelmed, but there is so much good being done by individuals and charitable organisations. I would like to document these ‘good news’ stories through my photography as a way of inspiring further change.
References and further reading
ALEXANDER, J.A.P. 2015. Perspectives on Place: Theory and Practice in Landscape Photography. London: Bloomsbury.
FRIEND, Robin. ‘Bastard Countryside’. Robin Friend. Available at: https://www.robinfriend.co.uk/bastard-countryside[accessed 17/03/23]
ANDERSON, William. Earthrise. NASA. Available at: https://www.nasa.gov/multimedia/imagegallery/image_feature_1249.html [accessed 17/03/23]
WILLIAMS, R. [1980] (2005). Culture and Materialism. London: Verso
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