Kindness In Nature

by: Emina Babic

Behaving thoughtfully and showing empathy; encountering new and old faces with welcoming, warming words; simply supporting someone whenever they are in need. All of these actions are considered acts of kindness, and the list doesn’t end there: several other expressions of kindness can always be added!

The fact is, kindness is crucial to the world we live in. Nearly 8 billion people can only live on one planet peacefully as long as they are kind towards each other. As long as they listen to each other, help each other, and stand together, they will be able to fight for a better world with a better future.

However, most people believe that being kind only pertains to humans. We often forget another factor, one that is a major part of our life on earth: Mother Nature. Everything we are, everything we have, is somehow connected to our roots — to nature. Mother Earth needs to be treated kindly, too. But, how?

Simply translate your acts of kindness towards people into acts of kindness towards nature.

Behaving thoughtfully towards nature means acknowledging its beauty and value by protecting natural resources. Our planet’s resources are limited. Therefore, we need to rethink how we deal with them. One way to tackle this issue is by reducing our consumption of disposable items. Enjoy your coffee or tea from your reusable coffee cup rather than buying a disposable one. While grocery shopping, bring your own reusable shopping bag and avoid using the plastic bags they offer. Consider purchasing second-hand clothes or selling items that you don’t use anymore. Remember: one person’s trash is another person’s treasure. 

These are all great ways to preserve nature, but how can we show empathy to nature? Mother nature and her creatures are precious beings who deserve to live peacefully. Unfortunately, many suffer from a variety of problems caused by humans. The destruction of our rainforests has led to countless animals losing their home. The pollution of the world’s oceans has resulted in killing sea plants and animals. Global warming and climate change has caused the melting of ice glaciers, making it impossible for polar bears and other animals to go search for food and, therefore, to survive. That’s why it’s more important now than ever to show empathy! Some simple ways you can do this are by avoiding products that contain palm oil, reducing your consumption of animal products (since soy, grain, etc. are mainly grown for livestock to be fed), and above all, support organizations that actively try to fight these threats. 

Here are a few suggestions of organizations to support: 

One Tree Planted (https://onetreeplanted.org/), WeForest (https://www.weforest.org/), Greenpeace (https://www.greenpeace.org/global/), and Ocean Conservancy (https://oceanconservancy.org/)!

Finally, kindness is generally shown through words. Since it’s difficult to directly communicate with plants and animals, welcoming and warm words must be put differently in regards to kindness towards nature. With that in mind: let us spread awareness! Share your approaches on saving the environment with your friends and family. Use your voice and your words on the behalf of those who cannot talk for themselves. You can protest, write letters to politicians in your area requesting them to advocate for the environment, organize a day at your school addressing special topics such as the environment, and of course, support diverse organizations on social media by engaging with their posts and spreading their message. Be loud and you will be heard!

No matter how big or small everyone’s actions are, added up, they are pivotal to our planet’s wellbeing. And right now, these actions are needed more than ever. So, let’s be kind together! Towards each other and of course – our nature!