Respect Nature
PRINCIPLE 7 OF 10
We are part of nature. The world around us is not merely something to consume. Consider the effects of your choices on people, animals, ecosystems, resources, and future generations. Human progress matters. Nature matters. Grow without forgetting the world that allows us to exist.
The explanation
Human beings are part of nature. The world around us is not merely something to consume. Consider the effects of your choices on the environment, other living beings, other people, and future generations. Human development matters. So does the natural world that makes human life possible. Grow without forgetting the world you are growing within.
In the Master Philosophy
Human beings are part of nature, not separate from it. The natural world supports our lives and the lives of countless other beings. Therefore, consider how personal and collective choices affect:
- animals
- ecosystems
- resources
- climate
- biodiversity
- future generations
- the places in which we live
Nature does not need to be treated as a religious object in order to deserve respect. It can simply be recognized as the world we depend upon and share.
How to read it
Practical interpretation
- The natural world is the shared condition of every life.
- Choices reach animals, ecosystems, resources, and people not yet born.
What this does not mean
- It does not turn nature into a religion, prescribe one environmental lifestyle, or deny that human needs, livelihoods, and development matter too.