Nature as a teacher

Which teachings (conceptual or practical) of your religion would you prescribe as remedies for the illnesses, whether spiritual, social or political, that are afflicting humanity?

The above prompt for reflection was shared by John McLaughlin, and I am responding to it as a Pagan and a Wiccan.

Contemporary Pagan, Heathen, polytheist, and animist traditions do not have a single holy book or a founding teacher. We do have a lot of books though! These traditions are collective movements inspired by ancient religions and spiritualities. Much of the Pagan movement is inspired by wanting to (re)connect with Nature. This was one of several reasons why I came to identify as a Pagan.

In many ways, Nature is our greatest teacher. If you want to learn to live in community, live sustainably, and be in harmony with Nature, look at Nature itself, and the cultures that live in right relationship with it. Look at how animals and plants cooperate with each other (much of evolution is powered by cooperation rather than competition). Look at Indigenous Peoples, who live in harmony with the environment. When they make a decision, they base it on how it will affect people seven generations from now.

Our contemporary malaise can be traced back to several causes: industrialisation, capitalism, and colonialism. The symptoms are alienation, loss of meaning, loneliness, loss of community. This is exacerbated by the polarization created by social media, and the misinformation that spreads online.

These issues can be resolved at an individual level by becoming involved in a community that is actively engaged in creating beauty, whether that's helping people or the environment, handicraft groups, tree-planting, or community gardening. On a collective or societal level, the biggest problem is the massive wealth gap between the richest and the poorest (this gap is particularly stark in the USA, the UK, and Canada) which leads to despair, alienation, crime, and exploitation. The solution might be to look at countries that are doing well in terms of happiness (Bhutan, Finland, Norway, Sweden), and emulate what they are doing. We also need to urgently reorganize our priorities based on the impact of climate change, and start subsidizing sustainable technologies instead of oil pipelines.

Nature teaches us a number of things:

• Land is a finite resource. We only have one planet, so we should treat it with respect.

• We should not think of land as a resource or a commodity, but as a relative.

• Nature is a Thou, not an It.

• Cooperation is more effective than competition - look at the way bird flocks, bee communities, or herds work together.

• You cannot survive without water, and it is the lifeblood of every ecosystem.

• Diversity is good. Every ecosystem has a number of different evolutionary niches, which are filled by a wide range of birds and animals.

• Complexity emerges from simplicity.