Witt's+Page

=//Man, Society, and Nature//= media type="file" key="Man, Society, and Nature TIB.m4a" width="210" height="35" align="center" For many people today, Nature is a place of static and superficial beauty: a place to go for a picnic on a sunny day, and nothing more. For me, however, Nature serves as much more than simply a passive setting against which compelling actions unfold, or as a pleasant backdrop to everyday events. Rather, Nature is a dynamic and sentient force through which human identity is continuously constructed and revealed. It is my belief that Nature is the manifestation of something greater than myself alone; her simplistic and raw beauty leaves me awe-inspired; her vast expanses remind me of the scale of the universe, and her wildness teaches me humility.

It is to her, Nature, that grand, sane, towering, seated Mother, chaired in her ancient adamant of Time, that we owe our existence to in the first place. I see my Soul embedded in Nature, and Nature in my Soul; we are inseparable, just as I am inextricably bound to Society, a creature enduring, capable, and feared, yet a creature young and ungrateful to the womb that has birthed it into existence. I must educate Society, of Freedom, Law and Love, through teachings whispered, so as to speak simply and purely, in a language universal to all: Perennial with the Earth. I must teach Society to see this intrinsic relationship with Nature, our mother, because while I know that a mother’s love is instinctual, I know also that Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned.

While I am aware that my physical form is but a faint notion in the grand scheme of things, I know that Society, the cumulative legacy of all humanity, cannot pass with a single man’s death. It will remain intact for as long as Nature will allow it to, and it is my duty, as it is everyone else’s, to ensure that Society understands the intimate connection it has with Nature: the fact that we are living on a borrowed Earth with borrowed Time. As I said before, it is my belief that Nature is the manifestation of something greater than myself. I believe in God, only I spell it Nature.

//-Witt Harlin is a senior at CU majoring in Environmental Studies with a focus on International Environment & Development. In addition to playing Midfield on the CU Men's Lacrosse Team, he enjoys skiing, backpacking, and finding new music.//