Returning To Nature

Nature is a universal theme. Many people in the history had shown deep solicitude for nature and had tried various ways to pursue it. Some wrote poetry or prose to heap praise on nature; some returned to live in the woods or countryside to enjoy the beauty of nature; and some made nature a tool to fight against the society ... Today, people advocated the approach of environmental protection to keep the ecological balance in nature. The main purpose for people to make all these attempts is to maintain the harmony between human and nature.Tao Yuanming and Henry David Thoreau lived in different ages and countries, with different cultural backgrounds. Yet they are comparable for they had one thing in common: advocating nature, which can be good reference for us to make further studies.Advocating nature is the core of Tao Yuanming and Thoreau's life philosophy. Greatly attracted by the beauty of Nature, they chose the same way of returning to nature. During their return, they formed their unique life philosophies.Nature, in their descriptions, is more than the external environment. It refers to the carefree state of mind and truth of human nature; it has a flavor of freedom; Nature is also their life-long belief. Therefore, their life and writings are natural.Returning to nature is to recover the truth of human nature. They believed that ancient people, keeping the simplicity and purity of human nature, were the ideal people. They had also placed their social ideal in the descriptions and explanations of "truth" (nature). Tao Yuanming and Thoreau were deeply in love with their life in nature, on the basis of which, they wrote their masterpieces "The Peach Blossom Spring" and "Walden". If the pursuit of "truth" was only a way to fulfill the individual perfection, the "Peach Blossom Spring" and "Walden" was their great ideal to reform the society with nature.Advocating nature gave them an extraordinary broad-mindedness towards "death". In a time when the word "death" was still a kind of taboo, they regarded death as a kind of transformation, a natural circle. They thought that one should not be worried about the coming of death, or be puzzled by the unknown world after death. With nature atheart, they felt no fear of death. Nature was their power in facing death.Although Tao Yuanming and Thoreau were living in different countries and different times, they were similar in many ways in their treatment of nature. Human civilization developed rapidly after them, however, their philosophies are still of great significance today.First is aesthetic significance. Tao Yuanming was able to see a "truth" at the sight of "flying birds"; an ordinary lake was as beautiful as fairyland in Thoreau's mind. With nature in mind, one can be as free as the flying birds even if one is in a cage, however, with a heavy yoke upon the heart, the most beautiful scenery is meaningless. Those who keep truth in their hearts will enjoy every beautiful part of life.Second is practical significance. People are trying to solve environmental problems. Though some measures show their effects for a time, they still cannot solve the problems for long. Man's lust in material life will finally destroy our spiritual homeland. In considering the development of both nature and human civilization, Tao Yuanming and Thoreau's thinking and practice are good reference.