In our society we have somehow come to think of nature as being outside of us in some way or another. Nature is out "there", outside of the "human world". It lies beyond our cities, even beyond our farms. Many people think of "nature" as the idea of  "wilderness" -- untouched landscapes, human presence absent. When many are looking for recreation or peace of mind, they retreat to "nature" -- they leave their human places and in pursuit of solace.

Our perception of nature in this way can be seen in how we break up our land. We draw invisible lines around stretches on a map and say, "this is for nature" and call it a Preserve or a Reserve or a State Park -- and then we draw other lines and say, "this is for humankind" and call it a Shopping Mall or Theme Park or a Housing Development.

What we must realize is that we are nature. You are Nature. I am Nature. Everything that we are, everything that exists around us is a product of her doings, of her intricate processes bound by the larger physical laws of the Universe.

As a product of nature, humankind is one of the strongest forces which shapes our planet. We change entire landscapes, entire ecosystems, entire biological compositions of certain areas. We turn silica into computer chips and iron ore into our skyscrapers. We need to embrace the nature within us; learn to recognize ourselves as being a part of this universe, just as the wind and the sunshine -- and with more intelligence and intention, shape the world that we are living in for something more positive.

Can we learn to blend our differentiation of humankind vs. nature? Can we learn to integrate her practices into our human developments? With intelligence we can learn to develop areas for our uses, while at the same time creating habitat for other species and valuable ecosystem services. Not everything has to be an all-or-nothing sort of endeavor -- all shopping malls and no habitat, or all habitat and no commerce. We humans can learn to live more symbiotically with the workings of this planet, but we first must realize that we are all a part of nature, and she is a part of us. All that we do affects each other and the other living things on this planet -- and all of us are evolving here together -- part of the same grander symphony of life. Let us learn to embrace the nature within us and work with her :)