The earth is our birthplace, yet for millions of us, it feels strangely foreign.
Most of us busily scurry through our lives taking little notice of the earth.
There are several reasons for this.
First, many Westerners live in cities, and by and large, our societies are no longer based on agrarian culture.
Agriculture naturally relies on human attunement to the seasonal cycles, and this is no longer a customary way of life for many people.
In contemporary life, agriculture is a job, a career choice.
Because we are, for the most part, removed from an immediate and visceral connection with nature, our awareness of how the earth sustains our lives has waned. In addition to this, our contemporary, mainstream religious paths promulgate a central doctrine that characterizes the natural world as inherently flawed, sinful, and wrong.
We all grow up with these teachings that infuse everyday life and that consequently shape our worldviews.
As a result, many of us presume nature has no value beyond our ability to exploit it.