Introduction

“For every man., There is healing in the trees for tired minds and our overburdened spirits, there is
strength in the hills if only we will lift our eyes. Remember that nature is your great restorer.”- Calvin
Coolidge

The narrative, of both Humans and Nature, is incomplete without each other, more like intertwined
in each other’s life story, a romance of sorts and like almost every romance…it is complicated. The
relationship between man and nature existed right from the beginning and still does today. In fact, it
is the most ancient and intimate form of connection in human history existing right from the
creation of Adam and Eve. We Humans and Nature, are interdependent on one another for our
survival in all aspects. We depend on nature for our livelihood and well-being, and nature depends
on us for its protection and growth. Nature plays just as much role in our psychological well-being, as
much as it does in the physical aspects.

The human relationship with nature thrives on non-monetary values which are essential for the
development of us human beings and nature aids in finding our cultural, social, and legal identity. It
gives us a sense of place, spirituality, human security, and overall healing. Relationships between
anything in general have factors that could possibly or most definitely change them. When we speak
of Human – Nature relationship, factors that could alter the relationship are mainly cultural,
considering the fact that Culture is a complex unity of individual, social and environmental factors –
a milieu.

Human and Nature in History.

In earlier times, nature was used as a guide towards living an ideal life, a life of harmony and peace
along with other living creatures and abiotic parts of nature. The interdependency was at a balance
and any natural disaster was understood as punishment or the wrath of Mother Nature. Gradually,
people began worshipping nature with the notion that it was because of Nature we exist and survive
and henceforth, mythology came into existence. The standard of living changed, for the better, of
course, and natural disasters perceived as the wrath of the Gods and Goddesses they worshipped
such as Anubis the God of Death, Amun Ra the Sun God, Zeus the God of Lightning, etc.

Be it the Holy books of different religions, mythologies of diverse cultures, history books across the
globe, or ancient inscriptions on the wall, all mention the Human-nature connection. All Holy
scriptures, advise human beings to turn to nature in order to establish a close relationship with God.
In the mythologies, Gods and the Goddesses either exist through nature, or nature is what defines
them and gives meaning to them. The ancient men, as we know from our history books, and the
inscriptions found across the globe, were solely dependent on nature for food, shelter, and all the
other needs. And even now, things haven't changed much. We still depend on nature, more than
anything else, for our survival.

The psychological side of the human and nature relationship.

"Naturel environment is one of the most basic important ingredients of human psychological
existence." - Harold Searles.

As mentioned earlier, nature is what aids us in finding our identity and provides us with a sense of
place. And only after we have all of these things, as a security deposit, can we believe in a less
stressful life. The impact nature has on our psychological well-being, can be seen through a wide
variety of mediums.

The Romantic Age was the beginning of this impact. During this age, when wars and destruction took
place, people from metropolitan cities, retreated to small towns and villages. Which helped them to
be immersed in the natural habitat around them. Modern writers mention the psychological side of
human and natural relationships too. For example, The Alchemist.

"As the Englishman stared out at the desert, his eyes seemed brighter than they had when he was
reading his books."

Books teaches us innumerable things, but there is more one can learn by just, observing the world
around them. Pages and stories can give us happiness but, seeing a rainbow, hearing a nightingale’s
song at night, listening to the chirping of the birds in the morning, can give us the perpetual bliss we
are looking for. The sight of other living creatures just living their lives, moving on and accepting
their fate, making mistakes and never giving up, fighting and getting back up, is what brings peace
and introspection to us humans. The sight of fluttering leaves and the touch of a gentle breeze is
satisfying and relieving as it gives us the psych analogy of shaking off the negative and going through
our emotions.

The experience of building a relationship with other living species gives us the ability to create and
deepen our connection and understanding of mother nature, giving more meaning and quality to
the life we live, teaching us to appreciate and be concerned of what lies before us. The concern and
realisation of Nature’s significant existence is our part in the relationship between us Humans and
Nature.

If, just keeping some flowers in hospital rooms, makes post-surgery patients feel less fatigued and
drops the count of their painkiller intake, what more can Nature do? Did that question ever cross
your mind? A recent Netflix series, My Octopus, shows us how nature helps human beings stay sane
by documenting the life of filmmaker Craig Foster, and his life-changing friendship with an octopus.

The most prominent and highly relatable example is perhaps Covid-19. When we were forced to
stay locked up in our houses, people spent more time in nature, which helps them cope during the
pandemic. The pandemic especially has given man the opportunity to appreciate nature, which
otherwise, remained neglected.

Recent Human – Nature Relationship

Exploitation of Nature began due to the need for resources in order to attain a better living. We say
exploitation because, initially, it was tolerable until we humans began wrapping ourselves in a
blanket of comfort and luxuries. We grew greedy and greedier and hence Nature gradually began to
deteriorate. This deterioration came into notice until the 1950’s when Global Warming came into
existence. Not only development of technology but also the culture that has been cultivated
amongst ourselves has changed our Human – Nature relationship. Our culture, caused us to think
superior of ourselves and perceive nature as a mere source of provision. It made us feel as though
we own Nature and can do whatsoever we wish to – a toxic relationship. Currently we are doing our
best to make amends and improve the Human - Nature relationship with initiatives and awareness,
globally by the IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature), World Wide Fund for Nature,
etc. The theory of “shifting baseline” is not only a melancholy one but a scary one as well,
considering the fact that every generation will have new reports and records of sources and their
availability indicating that the disappearance of nature in it’s true form may not be noticeable and in
the long run will have strong repercussions both latent and visible due to the emergence of
technological nature such as immersive virtual environments, robotic dogs, live web cams of nature,
etc. Future generations most probably will not be able to experience true Nature, not even a bit.

Conclusion

To put it all together, we can say that human beings truly have a deep connection with nature.
However, industrialization, urbanization, the invention of technology, social media, and human
dependence on the same have weakened this connection. The more we develop, the more we
isolate and alienate ourselves from nature and this separation, undoubtedly, is taking a toll on the
well-being of both, humans as well as nature. The attempts are being made to strengthen this
connection again, but they sure aren't enough. We have like a long way to way to go, to fix and
mend, all the damage and destruction we have caused.

Funny, how nature could survive without us but how we can’t survive without it. Moreover, we are
protecting Nature from the destruction that is caused by us humans ourselves, for the survival of all
living and non-living, the existence of harmony seems imaginary considering the evolution and pace
of the development of technology and our standard of living. We may find harmony, but not the one
most preferred. We are in a balance of contrary forces of destruction and preservation.