What is Nature

There is a very special park in my area—there’s a lot of parks, it’s nice. It is a beautiful bit of nature. It is full of lush greenery that is deeply refreshing to be among. Except is isn’t actually natural. The whole thing is engineered. It’s centered around a canal that was gouged out for business and industry and commerce. Some praiseworthy person a century ago decided to put a park and gardens alongside the canal. It’s all maintained by a staff of professional gardeners. I like hiking (not that you would know it from the amount that I actually do). There’s something deeply soothing about getting away from civilization and wandering through the wilderness. Just keep in mind that trails are built. They do not occur naturally or maintain themselves naturally. And though the forests around me may seem like nature, I have to keep in mind that they are not really so wild. All the land in my area was clear cut decades ago. The forests are faint shadows of what once was. The built…