When the Homily is about Immunology

Nature

One of the most curious oddities one can find is a completely secular individual who - whether deliberately or not - insinuates a dichotomy between humans and nature. Really, it isn't an oddity in the "rare" sense of the word, it actually happens all the time. Think about it, if "nature" is all there is, then how is it we can possibly consider ANYTHING we are, or do, as other than natural? It is not dissimilar to the absurdity of referring to "OUR" bodies...as if it wasn't us and we weren't it? (e.g. "My body is getting so old" as opposed to "I am getting old.")

Consider this oddly titled article: "Reconciling your lawn to climate change" Oddly titled I say because I am guessing the horrors of climate change have yet to have any grand noticeable affect on most people's lawns and so most folks are likely to ask: Huh?

Anyway, furthermore I agree with MUCH of the sentiment of the article, but I don't see it as being a means of reconciling with climate change but rather just good common sense, to a point. Take for example the "exotics" growing in our vegetable garden. Think about it.

They author exhorts us: Rather than try to control Nature, perhaps its time we lent a hand and worked with her fickle nature rather than against it.

Most of us probably cannot see the steam rising from this pile, but it is there. Everything, everywhere, and at all times is working to "try to control nature" (assuming this phrase makes some sense...recall its like saying you are trying to control your arm...YOU ARE NATURE DUMMY!). When wasps gather mud and build sometimes gigantic nests - often in decidedly inconvenient places - they are working to control nature. When African termites construct HUGE towering nests, they are working to control nature. When trees dig deep with their roots and rob the earth of her resources at the expense of other nearby plants, they are trying to control nature. Controlling nature is...ummm....well, it's just natural.

Ahhh, but of course some would say that only humans wreck such horrific damage by trying to control nature, and they would be right because we have gotten very good at controlling nature which is precisely why you are living so comfortably right now, congratulations! Some would go on to say that only certain races of humans seek to control nature too much...which leads me to a funny story: a drunk homeless native American I shared a seat with once on a bus in Seattle volunteered that "the whole 'Indians living in perfect harmony with nature is a bunch of marketing bulls*&%!" I suppose he could get away with saying such non-PC stuff, even if I generally agreed. Controlling nature, even to extremes, is as natural as sex drive. Given a chance I don't think any culture of race could resist over-indulging.

Imagine that, trying to encourage self-restraint? LOL, these folks are typically the sort to readily tell us how abstinence training doesn't work.

Survival means forcing nature to be in harmony with YOU. Doing it intelligently means doing it sustainably. This is what farming is all about.

Living off of the land for yourself and your family leads naturally to you having a very keen interesting in preserving that land. FAR FAR FAR more than you would if you had no ongoing survival interest in the viability of that land. It's not about native plants vs. non-native plants. To the farmer planting some pretty looking purple and pink Japanese tree that requires constant attention is just plain stupid regardless of climate change.

For the secularist, survival means conquering nature but doing it intelligently. For the Christian it also means conquering, but that in so doing WE are actually reconciling nature. We are caring and in return being cared for. Now THAT's natural.