Mother nature

Mother nature, also known as Earth mother or Mother Earth, is an embodiment of nature that focuses on nurturing and life-giving aspects of nature in one form or the other.

The origin of the word “nature” is found in the Latin word “natura” which translates to character or birth. The word was first used in Mycenaean Greek as “Mother Gaia”. There are different myths associated with mother nature-based on greek mythology, Basque Mythology, Ancient Rome mythology and Indigenous American mythology.

It is very common to see the Earth being prayed to, and being the “Mother of Life” in different cultures. People from different religions bury their bodies in mother Earth after their death in a way to embrace her and long to return to her. Thus the importance of giving life has also resulted in the fertility deities being regarded as Goddesses across many cultures as they are perceived as mothers to their offspring fulfilling all their needs.

Philosopher Mircea Eliade has compared Earth to a mother symbolically. He concluded that there are so many similarities between the two such as it is our primary source of attachment that we encounter in this world. Just like a mother, the Earth holds us, nurture us, provide us with food, fuel and shelter. Thus mother nature is of great significance to all the living beings residing in it.

With time, human beings got distracted from its path of nature conservation to its exploitation and led to the destruction of our environment. Global warming, wildlife protection, coral reefs preservation, have become hot topics nowadays. Out prodigal use of nature is backfiring on us and now we are not left with any other option but to empathize with nature as if it were a person. We have to heal its wounds, it needs to be treated and it needs the participation of all.

We blame industries, governments, pollution for the devastation of our nature but we are the ones building these governments, spreading pollutants and working in those industries. If all human beings would do just the bare minimum to protect nature on their own, we can increase the Earth’s healing speed by 4-5 times.

Protecting our Earth starts with you, so here are a few suggestions that can result in nature preservation:

3R’s: Reduce, Reuse, Recycle, may seem like a popular phrase but if done efficiently, can yield wonders.
Volunteer: Volunteer for community service for natural resources protection or any service which has to deal with nature preservation in any way.
Educate: This is a very important step as it helps in spreading awareness about our planet’s condition and getting more people together towards its conservation.
Conserve water: Be it switching off the tap while brushing or reusing the rainwater, any step in conserving water will lead to more water for us ultimately.
Shop wisely: Try to buy the least amount of plastic items and promote bioproducts or nature-friendly items.
Plant a tree: Even if you plan one tree a month with a total population of 7.9 billion, Earth will have 94.8 new trees every year.
Bike more or find eco-friendly ways of transportation like electric vehicles.
Use long-lasting light bulbs, also switch off the lights before leaving the room.

You can think of more ways in your daily life to make a difference in saving the environment but remember to contribute in some way at least because it’s high time and if we do not take the necessary steps right now, our destruction is inevitable and quite near.

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