Estimated reading time: 8 minutes
Nature needs us to heal, spiritually
Nature has always awed me—physically, emotionally, intellectually, and spiritually. Physically, I am drawn to its beauty, vastness, and grandeur. Emotionally, Nature serves as a mood elevator; it never fails to lift my spirits and place me in a better frame of mind. Intellectually, it stirs within me a deep curiosity and compels me to ask profound questions like, “Who created Mother Nature, and why?” Spiritually, I view Nature as nothing less than the manifestation of Brahman (God in His impersonal form) or Ishwara (God in His personal form). When I recently came across a social media meme that read, “The nature of our future depends on the future of Nature,” I was immediately moved. As someone who has always felt a deep kinship with the natural world, I believe that the root cause of our environmental problems is spiritual, and science can only help us address the symptoms.
Nature: A Living System
Nature is more than the sum of its parts. It includes ecosystems, climates, organisms, and elements that bind together all living and non-living entities with threads of interdependence. From forests that act as the planet’s lungs, to oceans that regulate its temperature, Nature functions as a living, self-correcting system—until disrupted by external forces, often human-made.
According to the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES), over a million species face extinction due to human activity. This isn’t just about animals and plants; it signals a deterioration of the very fabric that supports human life—air, water, food, and shelter.
The Philosophy and Spirituality of Nature
Many ancient traditions, like Hinduism, see no dichotomy between humans and Nature. In the Isha Upanishad, Hymn 1, it is said:
Isha vasyam idam sarvam, yat kincha jagatyam jagat
“All this is for habitation by the Lord, whatsoever is individual universe of movement in the universal motion”
This verse invites us to treat the Earth not as a resource to be exploited but as a divine expression to be revered. In Advaita Vedanta, Nature is Maya—the divine manifestation of the Absolute (Brahman). Though illusory in the highest metaphysical sense, Maya is not to be abused but understood as a sacred play (Leela) of consciousness.
In Buddhism, too, interdependence is a core teaching: pratītyasamutpāda (dependent origination) suggests nothing exists in isolation. Likewise, indigenous traditions from Australia to the Americas speak of a “web of life” in which every being has a role and a voice.
Earth as a self-regulating organism
Modern ecology has begun to confirm what ancient seers knew. Studies in systems biology and Gaia theory suggest the Earth operates as a self-regulating organism. The interdependence of climate, biodiversity, and human survival is no longer in question.
Climate change, biodiversity loss, plastic pollution, and deforestation are no longer slow-moving threats—they are current realities. According to NASA, the last decade has seen the hottest temperatures on record. These shifts affect agriculture, drinking water, migration, disease patterns, and economies.
Future of Nature in peril
Several human-made pressures threaten the integrity of ecosystems today:
- Deforestation: More than 15 billion trees are cut down each year, disrupting rainfall patterns and releasing stored carbon .
- Pollution: Air and water pollution cause millions of deaths globally. In 2019 alone, pollution caused nearly 9 million premature deaths.
- Plastic Waste: Over 8 million tons of plastic enter oceans annually, affecting marine life and food chains, including the foods humans consume.
- Climate Change: Driven by fossil fuel consumption, climate change accelerates natural disasters, sea level rise, and temperature anomalies
- Overconsumption: The ecological footprint of high-income nations far exceeds sustainable limits, draining global resources disproportionately.
These factors are driven by a mechanistic, exploitative worldview—one that sees Nature not as sacred or interconnected but as a lifeless warehouse of commodities.
The Role of Economics and Policy
The economic system plays a pivotal role. Gross Domestic Product (GDP) measures economic output but ignores environmental degradation. Ecological economist Herman Daly criticized this, proposing “steady-state economics” where economic activity is in balance with ecological capacity. International treaties like the Paris Agreement (2015) fall short when not backed by stringent enforcement. According to the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), current global pledges are insufficient to keep global warming below 1.5°C.
Social and Moral Responsibilities
If humanity’s well-being is tied to Nature’s health, then safeguarding it is a moral imperative. This goes beyond planting trees or recycling—it’s about transforming values.
- Education: Schools must integrate environmental ethics from a young age.
- The media must avoid glamorizing consumption and promote sustainability instead.
- Religious Institutions can offer ecological interpretations of sacred texts to instill reverence for Nature.
- Individuals: Each of us must ask—how do my choices affect future generations?
How can we create a sustainable future?
- Simple lifestyle: Reduce meat consumption, avoid fast fashion, and minimize energy use.
- Community initiatives: Start local clean-up drives, seed-sharing programs, and urban farming.
- Political Engagement: Vote for leaders and policies that prioritize sustainability.
- Corporate Accountability: Support companies with green supply chains and punish greenwashing.
- Technological Innovation: Invest in renewable energy, circular economies, and biodegradable materials.
Each of these actions, though small in isolation, can create a ripple in the larger tide of planetary healing.
A Spiritual Reawakening
The ecological crisis is not just a technological or economic issue—it’s a spiritual crisis. It reflects a broken relationship between humans and the cosmos.
In the Bhagavad Gita (3.14), Krishna says:
“All beings grow from food; food is produced by rain; rain is produced by sacrifice (yajna); and yajna is born of action.”
This cycle implies mutual care. When humans abandon their duty toward sustaining harmony, the cycle collapses.
The future of Nature is our future
To ignore Nature is to jeopardize our survival. According to The WEF Global Risks Report 2024, extreme weather, critical change to Earth systems, loss of biodiversity and the collapse of our ecosystem, shortage of natural resources, and pollution are among the most severe risks we are likely to face in the next decade.
But there is hope. Ecosystem restoration, rewilding projects, indigenous land stewardship, and climate activism—especially led by youth—are gaining momentum worldwide. Our choices today—individually and collectively—determine whether future generations inherit a vibrant planet or a broken shell of what once was.
Science alone is not enough
American environmental lawyer and founder and former president of the World Resources Institute Gus Speth, who said at a conference:
“I used to think the top environmental problems were biodiversity loss, ecosystems collapse and climate change. I thought that with 30 years of good science we could address those problems. But I was wrong. The top environmental problems are selfishness, greed and apathy… and to deal with those we need a spiritual and cultural transformation and we, lawyers and scientists, don´t know how to do that.”
This realization reframes the conversation. Climate change and deforestation are not just technological or policy failures—they are the symptoms of a deeper inner malaise. Greed, apathy, and disconnection are spiritual deficiencies that no amount of scientific advancement can fully rectify.
To bridge this gap, we must integrate the rigor of science with the wisdom of spirituality. Where science explains the mechanics of the problem, spirituality addresses the meaning and purpose behind the solution.
The missing inner ecology
In his book Earth in Mind: On Education, Environment, and the Human Prospect, American environmentalist, educator, and writer, David Orr noted: “The plain fact is that the planet does not need more successful people. But it does desperately need more peacemakers, healers, restorers, storytellers, and lovers of every kind. It needs people who live well in their places. It needs people of moral courage willing to join the fight to make the world habitable and humane. And these qualities have little to do with success as we have defined it.”
The real crisis is not environmental—it is civilizational. We need to cultivate what Vietnamese Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh called “deep ecology”—an inner awareness that we are not separate from Nature but of it.
Environmentalist Satish Kumar reminds us in his book Soil, Soul, Society that sustainability must begin with reverence. Without a soul, there is no care. Without care, there is no future.
The Youth Movement: A ray of hope
Young people are rising. Inspired by Greta Thunberg, the Sunrise Movement, and global climate strikes, the next generation understands that their future is at stake. Universities are divesting from fossil fuels, high schoolers are pushing curriculum reforms, and children are planting trees.
Lessons from Indigenous wisdom
Native American, Aboriginal, and other Indigenous communities offer ecological practices rooted in deep reverence. They protect 80% of the planet’s biodiversity while comprising only 5% of the global population. Their models of governance, stewardship, and ritual offer blueprints for sustainable living.
Hindu rituals as ecological practices
Among the five Maha Yajnas or sacrifices espoused in Hinduism, Bhuta Yajna is the daily ritual of offering to animals, plants, and nature spirits. In modern terms, this could translate into feeding birds, planting trees, or caring for stray animals. It’s not charity—it’s sacred reciprocity. Festivals like Vana Mahotsava (forest festival), Ganga Dussehra, and Govardhan Puja honor rivers, forests, and mountains, reminding us of Nature’s sacred role in daily life. When rituals are performed with awareness and humility and not waste or show, they serve as deep ecological affirmations.
Practices like yoga, meditation, and mindful breathing reconnect us to the present moment and our place in the cosmos. When we are truly mindful, we consume less, waste less, and harm less. The Yogic teachings of santosha (contentment) and aparigraha (non-possessiveness) are keys to ending the culture of greed that Gus Speth laments.
Nature is sacred. So are we.
The phrase “The nature of our future depends on the future of Nature” is no longer just philosophical—it’s existential. As Gus Speth said, we cannot solve ecological collapse without healing the soul of humanity.
“The world has enough for everyone’s need, but not enough for everyone’s greed.”
—Mahatma Gandhi
Featured Photo by Edric Joey on Unsplash