We are all one with nature.

I was sitting on the stone bench in a pretty park outside my apartment building. It was one of four benches surrounding a fountain. Each bench has a stained-glass scene of a lighthouse with water, trees, and land. The lighthouse is in another park at the complex and stands perhaps 15 feet tall with wooden benches.

As I sat in a meditative state, I looked up at the sky, a brilliant shade of blue with large puffy clouds that if you look closely, are forms of animals and humans. We are one with nature. I was marveling at this vast space of ether, one of the five elements.

I felt the light wind caress my cheeks and dance through my hair—the element of air.

I am one with nature.

I felt the heat of the afternoon sky on the right side of my face and arm—the element of fire.

I am one with nature.

I watched the fountain as water circulated up to the top and over the sides—the element of water.

I am one with nature.

I felt the ground beneath my feet—the element of earth.

I am one with nature.

Ayurveda, the study of life, looks at health as a whole, with our body, mind, senses, and spirit/soul.

It says we all one with nature, that we are composed of all five elements, but many of us have more of those specific elements.

To maintain some balance, or sattva, while still being able to function with movement, or rajas, and have periods of inertia, or tamas, to recover and rejuvenate—we need to look to nature.

I will save more details for another piece; however, living in harmony with nature and receiving her bounty means we treat her with kindness. Without nature, we no longer exist.

So, why are we humans ravaging Mother Earth and destroying her, the tiny blue marble we live on? Why are we extending that destruction to space, to our solar system? We have ruined the soil, the waters, and the air. We are allowing sentient beings from the animal, fungi, and plant kingdoms to become nonexistent. They die, we die.

So, why? Greed. Power. Ignorance.

I do not have the answers, but each individual can select what steps they wish to start with—today. Take some small steps, and if possible, keep adding more. Can we grow some of our food at home? Can we reduce the trips we take with a vehicle? (Okay, this may not be feasible for some who need to drive for work.) But then, can we shop local? Use reusable bags? Make more meals at home? Remove toxins from inside and outside?

There are numerous other ideas. Large corporations need to make changes, and politicians need to stop bickering and listen, learn, and make good choices for how we move forward and clean up this mess we’re in.

I’ve digressed, but only a bit. The more I learn about Ayurveda and add its wisdom into my daily life, the more I see our connectedness to nature.

I am in my vata stage of life, which means I have not too many more revolutions around that fiery ball in the sky we call Father Sun. However, I fear for the infants, the toddlers, the teens, and the 20-year-olds. If we do not clean up this disaster, they will not have a future to experience.