Prompt:
“I would feel more optimistic about a bright future for man if he spent less time proving that he can outwit Nature and more time tasting her sweetness and respecting her seniority.”
-E. B. White
Does human progress depend on respect and appreciation for nature?
Essay:
Human progress does depend on respect and appreciation for nature because nature sustains us, and therefore we must protect it for future generations.
As humans, we naturally think about only ourselves and our survival. As a result, we end up seeing very shortly into the future, and care little for generations yet to be. In order to achieve the best quality of life for humans, we must focus on not only our immediate needs, but also on nature. Nature will be needed to sustain our future generations. Thus it makes no sense to forget the problem of sustaining nature to achieve a period of bliss, because the problem will come back and bite us. Our highest priority truly should be “respecting [nature’s] seniority” (E. B. White), not outwitting nature.
We see this problem in everyday life. Ot does not always involve nature herself. Humans always suffer the consequences of what they have failed to prepare for. For example, many students choose to procrastinate on schoolwork, rather than keeping up with their classes. Doing so maybe fun in the short-term, but in the long term, it causes extra stress and lower grades. This problem is known by many, so sustaining nature should be just as big of a concern, since it involves the same mindset.
We must prioritize nature over our immediate needs in order to improve the life of future generations; human progress depends on doing so.
PS I am brand new to this forum so please forgive me if I have made any mistakes. 