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Why We Experience Peace From Nature?

This is not a question, it is an idea, tell me what you think I have recently come to realize that we humans have a deep and undeniable connection with nature. Look around your house and you will most likely find plates with fruits on them, drapes and rugs with leaves and vines, napkins and tissue boxes with flowers. Some of you probably have wood cabinets and dressers. You will find references to nature everywhere. Look out you window and you most likely have some sort of landscaping. Your family pays money to plant and maintain trees, grass, bushes, mulch, rocks, all of which are different forms of nature. Now why is this? Why do we have this connection with nature? How are we connected? Why? Initially I thought that it might be a connection with plants, and that the answer was more scientific than psychological and philosophical. I thought that since we needed plants to live, and they needed us, we had developed a sort of underlying attraction. But then I began to have second thoughts as I realized we were attracted to more than just plants. Why do some restaurants put fish tanks in their lobbies when they don’t want fish? Why do some hotels have small waterfalls, fountains, and decorative pools? Things like the ocean, clouds, the sky, the sound of insects, rain, thunder, waterfalls, fish, birds, the sun, the moon, the stars, all aspects of nature, all things we are attracted to, and have incorporated into our society and our culture. Why? Why is it that we have such an appreciation and love for the beauty of nature? From a poetic artistic approach, I would say that those things possess the one element of life we desire most, peace and harmony, that all of nature flows together seamlessly without conflict, and we envy it. Unlike us humans who seem to spread and consume everything of value, animals balance themselves. Animals never reproduce more than their environment can sustain, and they make know graduated effort to expand. Plants all function together, along with water, in perfect harmony, never in conflict with each other. Is that why we have made them such a large part of our society? From a historic approach I would say our attraction to nature is a remnant of our ancestors, who continually lived in interaction with nature, and were constantly aware of how dependent upon nature they were. I would say that today, our incorporation of nature is simply left over from past years, and in reality it is declining, as is exhibited by the large amount of deforestation, disrespect for plant life, and increased harvesting of fish and other animals. So could we say that as we progress, interaction with plants will regress? From a scientific perspective I would say that our brains have programmed us to desire nature so that we will live in close proximity with plants around us, because there are necessary for life. It is the same thing with water, we think lakes and rivers are appealing, but could that be a result of biological adaptation to insure that we seek out fresh water? These are all potential possibilities. Each theory has an essence of truth. From a philosophical standpoint, they are equally important in understanding why we need and want nature. These theories combined comprise the answer of what nature is to us. However, I thought, “What I have identified is correct, however, something is wrong, if we need nature so much, why do we destroy it? If we need it so much, how have we coped with the lack of it?” This is why nature is so prevalent in our art and architecture. Like being hungry for food, we are hungry for nature. Our brains tell us that we need it, but we have destroyed it, so what have we done to cope with this craving? We have created a pseudo nature. The brain sees the reincarnation of plants and nature in our plates, and landscaping, and drapes, and pictures, and pottery, and it fulfills our craving. This is why we feel relaxation and harmony and peace when we experience nature. We are so hungry, we have that constant irritation, but when we experience it, our hunger goes away. No longer are we struggling and fighting. We feel the flow of living with nature, of fulfilling our craving. I understand that this may be a bit confusing, because I am very tired as I write this, but I needed to write it down. If you have any questions, feel free to ask, and I will be happy to answer them. If you like what I have to say, ask me for my blog. Apollo Aegis, Had you read my "long bantering" you would have realized it was not a question. Ross, Ignorance is the root of all evil. There is no wrong in trying to understand.

Public Comments

1. I am sorry, I didn't read your long bantering but to answer your question: Why do we experience in nature. Because nature is raw, their is nothing and everything in nature. It's not corrupted, nor polluted (for the most part). It hasn't changed in thousand of years, trees still grow the same as they did back when man rose in evolution till now. It's like questioning why do we find comfort at home, well, its in your control or it doesn't change against your will. Plus, we can make our own observations on it, and it comes in many forms so their is something to suit everyones tastes. We also identify with it, how many artist compare things or themselves to an element. Humans themselves live in nature for so long, growing with it. Understanding it, as it seems to understand us. A symbiotic relation between us and it. On top of all that, pleasant things in nature in are mind maybe inherit, according to the archetype theory. I know, I am hard to follow, but it because your question predates recorded history, so their is too much to cover, in too little time. I hope you can make out some of my points as valid, and helpful.
2. You have put much thought into our connection with Nature. And some strike a harmonious chord. You will find the greater music in letting go of the analytical approach, taking it apart to find how we connect and replacing it with the intuitive. We are not bodies and brains anymore than plants are seeds and stems, animals are tooth and claw, but the life force, spirit, that oversees them. We can connect in that place. EDIT..If you took my words as condemning your approach, I had no such intention. I was just trying to open up your view some.
3. If you think closely you will see that most of the way you are relates to many animals in nature, and nature is their natural homes where nobody is disturbed capable to do whatever we want and survive the way we want. And nature can offer those things. So the peace you experience from nature is kind of the tranquility or peace of mind you get from not being with other people and also your natural instincts awaken when in nature that might be another reason why one experience peace because one wouldn't usually get to break loose like that so if you get to break loose you become free and experience peace. People destroy nature even though we need it because the things that we want have created a necessity in our mind so therefor we destroy it by looking the other way(not caring) and also people wants the things now they don't want to invent new ways of doing things that "natural resources" would take care of, you would hear them say that its to much of a wast of money if we have to pay other people to invent something that might take years which I think that they should invest in. So like I think those people should experience the peace that comes from nature and maybe they might stop destroying it. I believe they should do research for something that would make trees grow faster than we would be able to grow trees in a shorter period.
4. This is an interesting and thought provoking read. I think what you need to realize is that nature is more resilient than we think it is. And that we have discovered species of living creatures that once were extinct or even new species that we found no evidence of ever existing in the past.
5. Being around humans is inherently stressful. Natures offers an escape. And the jackhammers are making me crazy. Up until 6-8,000 years ago we were hunter-gatherers for a very long time. Seems we are well-adapted to being on our feet all day listening to the birds and wondering "can I eat that?".