With Nature's Permission

One thing the Sami (indigenous people of northern Sweden, Norway, Finland and Russia) man we spoke with while we were up north really stuck with me, that whatever they do, they do "only with nature's permission".

We have been talking a lot about the scientific principles that define a sustainable ecosystem. This made sense to me, I liked that it is concrete... irrefutable. Maybe part of the the reason I like it is that it makes it seem as though it is somehow "new" information, a new discovery of rules that govern the livelihood of our earth. It's humbling however, to realize that it is not new information. It is something that the Sami have always known, something that the Native American's have always known, something that tribes in the Amazon have always known. It is nothing new... except to my culture. The scientific principles are simply our (much too late) realization that we can act "only with nature's permission".

I'm thinking about how this relates to my upcoming thesis project, which will be about sustainability, and strategic thinking for individuals. What does sustainability mean to real people? How can they "know" what to do without relying on "ten things to do to be nice to the environment" lists.

What makes sense to people? Is it the scientific view, or the "natures permission" view. I'm specifically thinking about the fellow Christians that I know. I wonder how it comes across to say "with nature's permission". I get the sense that too many would be opposed to this idea, somehow interpreting it as "worshiping" nature, going against the ideas that we were taught since we were kids that we are to "rule" over nature. That we are somehow above and exempt from the laws of nature, and we do not need permission from nature.

Of course, if we look at this from a scientific view, it is obvious that we do have to live by the laws of nature, and we do not "rule" over it, rather, we are a part of it. I don't know if I simply misunderstood what I was taught, or if I was taught that way on purpose, but it makes me afraid to think that too many of us may be ignoring nature's will because we believe we can.

I love the idea of "only with nature's permission". It makes everything make sense. For the most part, we know instinctivly what nature would approve of. We know what we have permission to do. The power in this is simple idea is that we are no longer subject to the uncertainty that grips us when scientists argue about something that we have been told we can't possibly understand without their help. Next time you do whatever you do, ask yourself, "What would nature do?" or "Would nature approve?". The answer is so much clearer than wondering what scientists would say.