Recognizing our intimate dependence on the natural environment allows us to see its true value and treasure it. One reason that people living in cities nowadays need to be told so much about the importance of caring for the earth is because they did not grow up feeling direct, unmediated connections to it. For them, nature is something that one visits in city parks or on excursions out into the countryside. When we are raised in urban environments, our sense for the natural environment is more remote because we rarely witness our fundamental reliance upon it. Nature seems like a pretty backdrop to our lives, something that adds to the scenery but is basically optional. We are obstructed from seeing how the natural environment is the very stage on which our lives play out. Without the conditions that arise from our environment, nothing whatsoever can take place.

17th Karmapa

from the book Interconnected: Embracing Life in Our Global Society

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Further quotes from the book Interconnected:

• The workings of interdependence
• An important source of closeness and love
• Webs of interdependence
• Enjoying the goodness of what you are doing
• Bringing about real change in the world
• Experiencing connection rather than isolation
• Touching the core of our equality
• Acting against self-serving impulses
• We hold nothing back
• A genuine sense of affection
• The power of our senses
• Delight in positive thoughts
• Opening up to the view of interconnectedness
• Remaining indifferent to the suffering of animals
• Self-discipline
• Our life is like a vast net
• You exist in connection with others
• The ability to experience genuine closeness
• Dismantling the walls that separate us
• Being an interdependent individual