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Nature, or the idea of nature, exists in the early 21st century mind as a commodity. We may purchase products with "natural" ingredients or we may travel to exotic sites, at great expense, to experience nature. Part of the rationale behind the creation of suburbs was an attempt to bring people closer to nature. But, what is nature? The word "nature" conjures images of green landscapes filled with non-human plant and animal life. Nature is thought of as anything or anyplace that is not human. Moreover, the very presence of humans "destroys" nature. Yet, strangely, many people feel that we have a fundamental urge to "reconnect" with that which, by definition, we can never truly experience in its purest form: the raw inhuman primitive energy of the wild.
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From: The Urban Naturalist.