“The cosmos is within us. We are made of star-stuff. We are a way for the universe to know itself” – Carl Sagan
This is not intended as a poetic, or philosophical statement, but as a scientific statement. As Dr. Sagan states more clearly: “The nitrogen in our DNA, the calcium in our teeth, the iron in our blood, the carbon in our apple pies were made in the interiors of collapsing stars. We are made of starstuff”.
Furthermore, in the words of Alan Watts:
“In a world where there are no eyes, the sun would not be light. And in a world where there were no soft skins, rocks would not be hard, nor in a world where there were no muscles would they be heavy. Existence is relationship, and you are smack in the middle of it”
The natural world is an integrated web, where all parts form the whole. We as human beings are also part of this web of life. If we were not, surely we could not exist.
When looking from this perspective, it becomes apparent that we are part of nature, and connected to nature. Every cell in our bodies, could not exist if it wasn’t for the natural world that we are born out of.
Consequently, becoming more connected with nature is not something that we do, but rather something that we become consciously aware of. The connection is already there and has always been, we simply need to open our senses to this experience, which we call life, and rediscover this connection. It is an inner awareness, that is heightened by our senses, through external experiences in nature. In so doing, we re-awaken to our connection with nature, ourselves, and the interconnected web of life.
"Existence is relationship, and you are smack in the middle of it" - Alan Watts -