My 90 days of gratitude | Day 46: Five things I enjoy about nature

Existential Gratitude: Finding Peace in Nature's Neutrality

Finally, a day of rest. It follows days of deeply satisfying work and learning—each one a step toward my goals, doing the best I can with what I have. Today's gratitude journal prompt asks me to reflect on five things I enjoy about nature.

This request struck me due to a recent synchronicity: a conversation I read this week between Muriel Chazalon and Chantal Maillard, combined with reflections on recent events, led me to a central concept: our profound connection to the natural world. I recall this powerful quote:

"That which we still call 'nature' to differentiate it from us, humans, is so deaf to its internal murmur. Only when it rebels... only then do we remember that it exists. In times of prosperity, however, we barely become aware that we not only exist thanks to it but that we are it as well." — Decir los márgenes: Conversaciones con Chantal Maillard (2024).

Instead of listing five beautiful elements, Maillard’s words and my own thoughts led me to two key insights. First, I appreciate nature's neutrality. There is no inherent good or evil, only existence and the ceaseless effort to sustain existence. All life requires constant sustenance; it is not a free gift. Nature operates cyclically because nothing sustains itself alone, and it does not complain about this work.

The second crucial point is my reflection on human nature. The only part of nature that laments the cost of sustaining life is the human part.

Although I was asked for five, these two profound points are the most important for me. I give thanks for my own inner nature and for my consciousness of its inseparable connection to the greater natural world. This existential gratitude brings true peace.

Agnesi,

A Red Circle | Un Círculo Rojo