Nature: Beautiful or Destructive?

Nature: Beautiful or destructive? Almost every entity in this universe has an opposite. Amongst some examples are the opposite of cold is hot, the opposite of water is fire, love of hate, and beauty of destruction. This idea can even be explained by the theories of science, such as Newton’s 3rdLaw, which states, “Every action has an equal and opposite reaction.” Also, there is the famous phrase used between married couples and lovers: “Opposites attract.” In some relationships, two completely different individuals can complete each other with their different qualities and life experiences as to make a marriage whole and harmonious. So, in this universe, everything runs on two different ends of the spectrum. Nature follows this parallel of opposites as well. Nature possesses beauty and the ability to cause destruction. A person might ask, “How can something so beautiful also be so terrifying and destructive?” In Anne Dillard’s “Jest and Earnest,” Dillard attempts to discuss this very quality of nature and its components, along with the purpose of nature and its process of creation and death. Nature is an entity that possesses both beauty and destruction, both of which must work together to maintain the harmony of nature, through the process of creation and death. Dillard illustrates many examples of the co-existence of destruction and beauty in nature. First, she describes her visit to an island where she witnesses many frogs in a pond. The frog seems like a normal one with wide, dull eyes. However, right in front of her eyes, she watches as the frog “slowly crumpled and began to sag. (Dillard).”And she goes on to describe the process of the frog dying in more detail. Here, Dillard emphasizes the process of creation and death in nature. Creation can be equated with beauty, whereas death is usually linked to destruction. Next, Dillard described the experience of the giant water bug, which is an enormous, heavy-bodied brown beetle. The food it eats is tadpoles,