11 Ways To Spread Nature’s Gospel And Protect The Living Planet

When I put it on, I was entranced by the world it reflected around me: The fire crackling in my dad’s living room, the leafless winter trees along the forest path, the sky which splayed itself above us, a giant bush of my namesake prickling its way through the hedgerow around his house. It mirrored, as I went through the motions of my day, the enchantments which exist in the natural world and everyday life, which often go unconsciously appreciated.  

It got me thinking. What if instead of looking inward, we focused our attention on the world around us instead, pushing ourselves as often as possible outside the concrete confines which numb us into accepting our current reality of capitalist servitude which pushes places of natural wonder beyond our daily reach. 

Could we collectively find harmony in ourselves and each other through nature’s cycles, atoning inner peace through mirrored growth and rebirth at each season’s change?

What if we shared the awe the natural world brings with members of our community, easing connection for those who might not be drawn to spend time in her embrace by financially enabling them to access spaces of wild nature that remain. Or helping to create and protect the living planet by rewilding land in our local communities. 

Perhaps the mantra of turning inward to heal the world isn’t working. Perhaps it’s a misappropriated ideal we’ve unintentionally made selfish, subconsciously fueled by the cultural narrative which has taught us that we are somehow better or separate from nature and each other, rather than a part of it and one another.

Thinking, dressing, eating, decorating and talking like ‘conscious’ people does not make a meaningful difference unless we behave consciously as well. At the end of the day, we have to inspire ourselves and each other to actively protect and enhance the natural world. We can’t buy our way to a more greener future, no more than we can we create true unity utilizing popular hashtags. 

We need to look up from our phones, tuck our flailing bank cards away, and look at what surrounds us, allowing the natural world to guide us and inspire us, rather than continuing to let us guide it. 

What if we all became missionaries of sorts –  but rather than (or alongside) spreading the word and tales of a particular creator as interpreted by man, we spread mother nature’s gospel instead (/ also). Uniting our species under a shared love of our biosphere, something we can tangibly and intrinsically ‘worship’ and protect.

If we can be convinced to unite and fight under the flag of God and country, two things since antiquity our species has taken up arms for. Then surely we can be convinced to inspire our society to feel called protect the very tangible natural world and all that lives on it. ‘Nature, Community, Holy Spirit’ (rather than God, country, family), could light the fire of change we’ve been laying kindling for. 

I realize this might read as a utopian ramble in many ways – and I am by no means suggesting you give up any of your religious spirituality – but surely we have room for more worship and more love.

I’ve put together a few ideas for those who want to spread nature’s gospel and protect our planet, which are probably a bit weak, but with your help (comment suggestions/organizations below), they can be built upon: