Man and nature form a living whole

Where did human beings come from? It seems to be a perpetual topic of interest. The modern theory of biological evolution shows that human beings evolved from lower forms of organisms and are a product of nature. Since the day we came into being, we have always been part of nature and our fate is intertwined with that of nature. 

Ancient Chinese had great respect for nature and proposed simple ideas about harmony between man and nature. Laozi, for instance, said, "Man follows the laws of the Earth, the Earth follows the laws of Heaven, Heaven follows the laws of Dao, Dao follows the laws of Nature", emphasizing the importance of the laws of nature. The classic book The Analects records Confucius's awe of nature in such lines: "The Master angled, but did not use a net. He shot, but not at birds perching." Lu's Annals of Spring and Autumn criticizes such short-sighted practices as burning down a forest to claim land and draining a pond to get fish. These ancient philosophies helped shape nature-protecting policies and practices at the time, which were important reasons for the uninterrupted development of the Chinese civilization. 

Harmony between man and nature is also an important dimension of Marxism. Marx believed that man is part of nature and lives on nature. Human beings produce, live and grow as they interact with nature. He wrote that any human program that does not conform to nature's mighty law will end in disaster. Engels, commenting on the deforestation in Mesopotamia, Greece and Asia Minor, warned that people should not be intoxicated with their triumph against nature, as nature revenges itself on them for each of these triumphs. Such thoughts reveal the dialectical unity of man and nature, in which kindness to nature brings gifts from nature while destruction of nature leads to punishment by nature. 

The history of human civilization is one of man's interactions with nature. In primitive civilizations, people were at the mercy of nature and survived by hunting and gathering things. In agricultural civilizations, people exploited nature for resources for their own development through farming and animal husbandry. In the era of industrial civilization, massive scientific and technological development caused changes in nature, to the extent that human beings believed that they could conquer and become masters of nature, resulting in ecological and environmental disasters. It was not until after people learned the lessons that we began to see efforts to restore the ecosystems and protect the environment, which brought our relations with nature into a new phase. 

The United Nations Climate Change Conference 

Today, ecology and environment have become issues that call for concerted global effort, and their protection has become our shared goal. For a few hundred years, industrialization had brought as much damage to the environment as it created material wealth. Climate change, acid rain, air pollution and sharp reduction in biodiversity, to mention only a few, have left wounds on the earth and threaten to destroy our homeland. Development at the cost of nature has come to an end. In face of mounting environmental issues, we are one community that thrives or withers together. No country can stay insulated. The earth is our only home. All countries in the world must work together to heal the wounds of the environment, restore its health and protect our irreplaceable planet. This is the way leading to an ecological civilization where man and nature are in harmony.

The views don't necessarily reflect those of Qiushi Journal.