Harmony Between Humans and Nature

Ladies and gentlemen, Have you ever been to Iceland? To me it is a marvelous country. Half of its territory is preserved and still it is a developed country. I first considered this as a perfect example to prove the existence of harmony between humans and nature, but my concept was overthrown by a T-shirt. More precisely, the words on a T-shirt, which said, “Don’t fuck with Iceland. We may not have cash, but we’ve got ash.” Quite hilarious, aren’t they? Environmental quality in Iceland is non-negotiable but the price is national bankruptcy. Cash or ash? Development or environmental protection? Humans or nature? We always have to choose one and sacrifice the other. No harmony exists. This is not a single case. Throughout history and at the present time, the pathetic truth is that there is no harmony between humans and nature. In the name of the industrial revolution, humans squeezed natural resources; In the name of maintaining peace, American burned numerous oil fields in Iraq; In the name of socialist modernization, we polluted the dome above us with dirty haze. These are our choices. Humans or nature? We choose the former, we always do.

There was a time that humans submitted to nature, respected it as a king. Yet this king is weakened by humans and we have grown too strong. We begin to believe that we can choose ourselves over nature; that we are the authority of this world. Alfred Tennyson wrote, “Authority forgets a dying king.” This was never more true than for humans and nature. We represent the backbone of this future. Let’s do not just talk about this but do something, something practical, something real. Ask not what nature can give you but what you can make up for nature. Do not forget this dying king. Show this world that there will be a hope for the harmony.

Nothing as long as you live will ever be more important.

It’s up to you. It’s up to us.

“天人合一”：The relationship between men and nature is believed not to be the subject-object