Man And Nature Paper Essays - Religion, Nature,

Man and Nature Paper "Interactions of Nature" When thinking about nature and all of my surroundings, I believe that they are, in a sense, like a painting. When you admire it from afar, it is very aesthetically pleasing. You take notice of its basic outlines, its basic colors, and its basic idea. But it is not until you begin to approach a painting that you are able to fully understand and enjoy its real beauty. The different textures, the blending of colors, and the artist's intricate details and personal touch. And so it is with nature. God did not create the world as something to be admired from afar, but rather he wanted us to interact with it, to get 'face to face' with our surroundings. It is only then, after we become 'one with nature' and examine its intricate workings, that we can really enjoy and appreciate its true beauty, as God intended. That is why he gave us our five senses...to hear the sounds of grasshoppers and the buzz of a fly; to taste the sweet fruit produced by the apple tree and the sourness of a lemon; to touch the furry caterpillar and needles on a cactus; to smell the pleasant rose and the foul skunk; and finally to see the multi-colored sunset and the glow of a brightly-burning fire. It is only when we decide to stop taking advantage of nature and start to appreciate it, that God allows us to begin to understand its amazing interactions and his personal touch. Take for example, the different plants and flowers that grow around us. Many people look at a flower and dismiss it as something that is planted, grows, and dies. In a sense, all of this is true, but there is so much more to enjoy in a plant than that. There is the miraculous growth of a plant from the tiniest of seeds, then the amazing process of photosynthesis and then the range and diversity of the color and size and shape of growing plants. In the video I was amazed to see the different reasons why plants grow where they do and look as they do and act the way they do, but more importantly, interact with nature and other living organisms as they do. It is just as John Muir said, "When we try to pick out anything by itself, we find it hitched to everything else in the universe." In a Monet painting you see the brush strokes, each one different; some big and some small. You notice the range of colors and the way they catch the light. And you appreciate the fact that, only when you begin to step back, do those contrasting colors and differing brush strokes begin to interact with each other and the whole picture is given depth and meaning. God 'the painter', has created a work of art, even saying in Genesis that "It was good" and it is not until we examine its details and its interactions that we can fully appreciate the masterpiece that he has created.