Nature is gone now, surrounded by man and his technology. The world is encompassed by satellites. Marshall McLuhan called the satellite--surround a the proscenium arch... turning the world into a stage and all of us into actors. All the world's a stage, and all the men and women merely players. (As You Like It, Act II, scene VII, William Shakespeare, 1599) McLuhan said Nature becomes an art form under such conditions. Earth photographed from space looked like a blue marble. The image indicated the whole world was in our hands.
Politicians have become actors fighting for the spotlight. Twitter and facebook postings provide us an identity... a global audience. And back on earth... well, Nature has become an art form.
Why did the death of Cecil cause us such pain? Many lions have been hunted down. The numbers dwindled down to such a point that every lion is now a Van Gogh, a Picasso, something treasured. Cecil's death signals our complete separation from Nature. We long for Nature, feel a nostalgia.
Why the proliferation of pets? Veterinarian shows are all over cable TV. We long for the natural world.
Why all the references to feces in movie comedy in recent years-- our obsession with shit is yet another expression of a disconnect from nature. Our bodily functions still involve the natural world.
A friend of mine states that our dreams remain our only connection to nature. Dreams cannot be controlled. The run free like lions across the savannah.
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