LIVING LIFE : At Odds with Nature

We all hate the artificial dust created by over trampling by vehicles and men on bare earth, yet when it rains on the same bare earth, a dumb sweet smell of earth swamps the nostrils and reminds you of childhood, of villages and distant natural places. We hate mud when it soils our shoes and clothes, and becomes brown dirt, yet our skins are brown, almost as brown as the earth. In fact, it is said that we are made of the earth, and indeed when we die, we rot and return to earth. We, humans, are so at odds with nature yet, we are a masterpiece of nature. We wear cotton clothes straight from plants, feed on food from animals or plants. We live in houses made of cement or stones, wood and metals, all from the earth. We love to shower in tiled bathrooms, go to western toilets made of ceramics from clay, harvested from the bottoms of rivers that have flown naturally for centuries. Millions of people in the world depend on clean water filtered naturally through swamps even better than the artificially purified water in towns, and which carries benefits of important minerals. The list of the benefits that nature imparts on our lives is endless. So it is surprising that we, humans, will try as much as possible to run away from nature and go ahead to attach such attempts to modernity. We spend our lives moving around in vehicles which pollute our environment and leave us obese, unhealthy and prone to cancers and heart problems. We choose to drink soft drinks made of water, food colors and preservatives instead of pure drinking water or freshly made juice from ripe fruits. We prefer white maize flour instead of the nutritious full grain ubugari made of sorghum. We cook our vegetables and foods until they become inedible, losing all the nutritious contents. We even want to be buried in small compact palaces, walls made of white tiles, in expensive suits and perfumes and for the really crazy ones, with a gold watch, a wad of money and the most expensive of coffins. It is all unnatural. Why are we so at odds with what we are? Is it not true that this natural mass of flesh called the body can only be at peace when it is most at peace with nature? Why do we stuff into it, all the fast foods, all the fumes from factories, the mental trash on television and tabloid magazines, name it? The challenges of the twenty first century, make it hard for anyone to remain faithful to nature. But have you ever wondered why the wealthy people or the older ones prefer to retire to their ranches or homes upcountry, with lots of fresh air, virgin soil, natural sounds of birds and rustling leaves, while others are struggling to go to the filth of the urban areas? Food for thought! I wish you a natural Sunday. kelviod@yahoo.com