Everything adds or subtracts value in some way. We can find the pros and cons of anything, be it relationships, jobs, large or small item purchases, life choices, events, you name it.
We often think that to appreciate something, it must have some worth or add some value to our lives.
This is also true of how we view nature. Nature provides food and resources, helps regulate our climate, and provides clean air. Nature has become commodifiable, and most people only ask what good it can do for them.
But what if nature was innately worthy, simply for what it is?
What if we didn’t have to commodify or place price tags on trees or land? What if insects and bald eagles alike deserved a protected life?
What if nature was something we respected and cared for, not only because of the value it adds to our life but also for the value it adds to all life?
What if we considered nature innately worthy of our respect and stewardship, as it has respected all life?
And what could we learn from nature if we understood the idea of innate worth? Could we accept that our own worth was innate, and not something that must be earned or fought for. What if our worth didn’t have to be tied to our productivity or our success, but instead was recognized as a birth right? What sort of respect and compassion might we hold for one another if we did not feel the constant threat to our egos of worthiness?
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