Before All Else, Nature was Mother

Across many cultures and throughout history, nature has consistently been referred to as a mother, and this is no coincidence. Nature is a fertile embodiment of warm tenderness, boundless care, and limitless love.

Every aspect of nature evokes the meaning of motherhood: the fruit on the branches of trees, the warmth of the sun's rays, the cool morning breezes, and the nurturing of the seed hidden deep within the dark earth. Motherhood, in its essence, is an instinct inherent in the universe, an innate manifestation of life.

For this reason, ancient peoples bestowed upon mother nature profound gratitude, respect, and appreciation. But in a modern world obsessed with materialism and dominated by greed, humanity has severed its connection to mother earth and neglected the deep-rooted relationship of respect that binds it to her.

Instead, another relationship emerged, based on notions of consumption, individualism, and humanity's perceived entitlement to the natural resources bestowed by God. When the maternal relationship perishes, wisdom perishes with it; for wisdom, as Nietzsche says, is "feminine."()

For this reason, we need to appreciate nature and see it again as a mother. When we look at it through this understanding, we can confront the destructive greed of the economy, which depletes nature’s resources and corrupts its environment, so that we may reconnect with it anew, with a bond dominated by love, mutual care, and gratitude.

Let us not be content with merely respecting what we see, such as flocks of migrating birds in the sky, or a lioness carrying and nurturing her cub. Rather, let us perceive what we do not see, what happens in valleys and forests: a giant tree protecting the creatures beneath it from the scorching sun, a bluebird hiding in the branches at the end of the day, or the sacrifice of seeds that lie dormant in the darkness until harvest time, when humankind takes the harvest and forgets mother nature.

When we contemplate nature, it teaches us as a loving mother would, helping us to see the wisdom in the steadfastness of tree roots, the resilience in the face of changing seasons, and the beauty in the brilliance of stars and the sparkle of sea waves.

Like a bird that tires after a long flight and finds rest inside a tree trunk, so too does a person, weary from the scorching sun or a long, arduous walk, sit quietly in the nearest shady spot. Nature, in its very essence, shares with a mother the quality of being a safe haven, not through comforting words, but through its tranquil presence; through its inherent generosity, love, and guiding wisdom; and through its radiant beauty, authenticity, and everlasting magic.