by Jenna Wroblewski

Created on: January 21, 2009

Life as we know it is changing. Every day we learn something new, exciting, some things even groundbreaking. If you look around, you can see tall sky scrapers, houses, computers, smart phones, and technology all together. In cities there may be a few parks with manmade streams and a few planted trees, but it seems to be that we are distancing ourselves from nature and other animals. So the question is asked; "Are human beings still part of nature?"

Well, taking a look at "what nature means" we qualify for some meanings of the word nature for example: we are nature in itself. Everything around us has a "nature". But what this article's definition is referring to, (the natural world as it exists without human beings or civilization.) It would seem we don't qualify. When the word nature comes to mind, i see lots of trees, grassy prairies, and wild animals living life without any human disturbances. So it would seem we are not at this point.

But take into consideration that thousands of millions of years ago, we weren't erectly walking, talking, texting humans. We were the rising species, sure, but we were, ( and still are ) mammals. Around 100,000 years ago, we weren't even profiled as Homo Sapiens ( our human profile name today) and we were a part of nature.

Today we are not monkeys hopping around from tree to tree, eating bananas. Unless that's your thing... If you look at the similarities between us and wild animals, we all eliminate waste, use oxygen, get nutrients, reproduce, and interact with one another. Single celled organisms do the same thing. We are, if you will, simians with bigger brains, that do everything in a more complex way. We are all part of the "circle of life". We may be more civil, drive cars, go to our jobs, and vote in elections even. No other animal, that I'm aware of at least, can do any of those things, But in the end we are all recycled and reused in one form or another.

The things we build may not be a direct form of nature like our skyscrapers, houses, electronics, ect. They are man made. Made by us humans. The things that our buildings are made out of cannot be found in nature because we created them. That's what makes our way of life unnatural.

So in the big scheme of things, we are part of nature. Everything that goes on in our world, in our universe is natural. In the smaller sense, the things we do and make go against the old ways. So it's what you believe. I see both sides plausible with good and bad sides. We humans may be getting to smart for out own good. Maybe someday we will have to evolve all over again and live in the wild.

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