The Role Of Humanity In Nezahuacoyotl's Flower Songs

1504 Words7 Pages

Humanity and nature possess a strong bond, with humanity often relying on nature for survival. A civilization’s own success is often determined by the surrounding nature. It is also driven by how the surrounding nature is used. However, nature is not dependent on humanity in the same way that humanity is dependent on nature. Within The Book of Genesis, humanity’s dependence on nature is demonstrated through Noah being instructed to bring two of each animal in a way to perpetuate nature, as well as humanity. In Nezahuacoyotl’s Flower Songs, which is a collection of poems, humanity is demonstrated as being on the earth for only a brief amount of time, which demonstrates the need for responsibility, as well as the fact that nature is also not …show more content…

For example, “Not forever on earth, only a brief time here! Even jades fracture; even gold ruptures, even quetzal plumes tear.”This demonstrates the impermanence of precious goods that are derived from nature. It implicates that if humanity is not careful with what nature has given, it can all be destroyed. Because of nature’s impermanence, it is vital to treat nature with respect, since it can very easily be lost. This reinforces the idea that humanity is responsible for treating nature with respect rather than using nature without regard for the consequences. Humanity’s impermanence is also important when considering human relations with nature. For example, “I take delight a brief time, only fleetingly is my heart glad on earth… I yearn for flowers.” This displays the brief time that humans have on earth, as well as how nature can serve as a way to distract from the fact of unavoidable death. The desire for nature as a form of comfort displays a bond between humanity and nature. Because both humanity and nature have an inevitable end, the two are intertwined in a way that can aid in explaining how humanity is responsible for the way that nature is treated. Due to this relationship, humanity’s responsibility is to treat nature with respect, while also responsibly using nature in a way that can help preserve both humanity and nature. If humanity betrays this bond and is irresponsible, it is very easy to destroy nature and eliminate a vital resource for not only human advancement, but comfort from humanity’s own troubles. However, nature and humanity share another vital

Open Document