Nicholas Acker: Making Nature Sacred #1

In a passage directly from the journal of John Woolman, the idea that all life should be respected and treated with compassion is brought up. Woolman speaks of a childhood experience where he was observing a family of robins and threw a stone, hitting and killing the mother. What started out as a simple act, with John not even thinking of the consequences, turned into a somewhat emotional moment for him. He was so struck, that he put the young chicks out of their misery. Feeling that it would be better than having them die in agony without their mother to care for them. We share this earth with so many other creatures and we neglect their lives almost every single day. What gives humans the right to play god on earth? Is it because we are smarter than other animals, and more socially advanced? The fact of the matter is that a life is a life, no matter how miniscule it may seem in our minds. Woolman reflects on the event and says, “purely gratuitous malice toward the most helpless of God’s creatures violates the deepest nature of humanity as well as of God.” It is safe to say that killing for sustenance is acceptable and only natural for survival, but this kill gave John pleasure at first. Through further reflection he sees the error in his actions, but by then it is too late. There is an uneven balance of power in the world between humans and other animals, therefore we are responsible for ensuring the rules of nature as well as mankind are not violated. Our place on the earth as humans offers endless benefits, but also comes with many responsibilities.