I often hear talk of nature as if it is something “out there”, something separate and in need of care and appreciation. Having a garden reminds me that nature and I are not separate and distinct. I am part of nature as much as are the Snow Drops coming out of the ground this morning. We have much in common, and their presence reminds me of that. I am part of nature, and I share a common fate and future with the plants in my garden.
I think I bring something special to the world of my Snow Drops. What if they bloomed and no one noticed? Would nature and the whole universe somehow be different if no one were aware of their presence? I think that my awareness actually adds something unique to nature and the whole cosmos.
To me it seems that something different began happening once humans began observing the world in a manner different from their primate ancestors. There were no humans there when the first flowering plants arrived in all their new glory. Just as the world changed when a human first looked through a telescope, the world was adjusted when a human first stared at a blooming plant. The cosmos was experienced as it had never been before. Humans took a changed place in nature and nature changed.
How sad it would be if the Snow Drops bloomed and no one noticed. The cosmos would miss a certain awakening