speaker notes

Since connecting with nature offers relaxation, encourages the

preservation of the environment, and enriches us spiritually, I argue
that connecting with nature has many benefits to the individual and the
environment.

Offers relaxation. “The river was like that to me. A comfortable buddy
sharing a lazy day. Nothing else mattered then.”(Harris, 2). This person,
in connecting with nature, started unwinding after a hard day and
relaxed……… “An exhausted kid says, I’m going outside—sick of her
mother’s voice, she knows she will feel better with bamboo.” (Nye, 17).
Here we can clearly see how a child uses her connection to nature to
relax. She goes outside to be with the bamboos, which in this case
represent nature.

We are nature and it's where we are meant to be. That's why we find
relaxation in it.

Encourages preservation of the environment. “Because the fig is a tree

of God,” she’d reply. “We don’t use it. We don’t cut it. We don’t burn
it… I later learned that there was a connection between the fig tree’s root
system and the underground water reservoirs.” (Mathaai, 3). The people
here recognised the beauty of nature and had a deep connection to it.
Thus, they knew its needs and tried to preserve it by not cutting down
the fig tree, which was very important to the ecosystem. These cultural
and spiritual practices contributed to the conservation of biodiversity.
(Mathaai, 8). The cultural practices mentioned are the practices of the
aforementioned people in the last evidence. These practices have arised
from the desire to protect the environment. Thus, it is clear that they
created these from their deep connection with nature.

The lesson here is that after forming a connection with nature, we see its
true beauty. This is what makes us orient ourselves to protect and
preserve it.

Enriches us spiritually. “I was one with this river, and nothing could
happen to me.” (Harris, 3). The narrator has formed a connection with
something larger than himself. He is overwhelmed by awe and believes
that nothing can change how he feels right now. In connecting with
nature, he enriched himself spiritually and had a pleasant experience.
“We’re pretty comfortable out here,” says Shelly. “This is where we
belong.” (Mascia, 4). The people in this story fully immersed and
connected themselves to nature by moving in a house in a field instead
of the city. This allowed them to find who they truly were and where
they belong in life.

Connecting with nature can be a very spiritually enlightening experience

since the awe-inspiring feelings, the tranquility, and the vastness of
nature can provide people with incredible feelings.