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I have had many friends who chose "natural" remedies, and died from something that was otherwise curable. Nature is perfectly happy if we are dead. Nature is no friend.
As readers know, I believe from my understanding of the Torah that we are here, instead, to improve nature. And because I try to maintain consistency between my beliefs and my practices, you will not hear me say, "Oh, it is natural, so it is better." I refuse to romanticize a natural world that is absent the contributions of mankind, which means that I will not hesitate to use invasive species of trees or bushes. Similarly, I am more than happy to spray to eliminate mosquitos and ticks on my land.
I love technological fixes to natural problems. Illness and Disease? We use medicine. I'll happily use any solution that has a positive cost-benefit based on the available data. Because I know that death is inevitable, anything that prolongs and enriches my opportunities to do as much as possible with the time I have is a no-brainer.
I have a beef with nature. Many years ago my family lived in the middle of nowhere, and, as happened to everyone we knew sooner or later, one of my family was killed in circumstances that would not have come together in a more developed human settlement. That day was beautiful. The sun was shining, the birds were singing. Nature didn't give a rat's rear-end that my brother had just died.
On that day, it got personal.
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;-)
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Old girlfriend: These berries are organic!
Me: So's rattlesnake venom.
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From teenage appendicitis to numerous cuts treated with antibiotics and later with intestinal polyps and melanomas removed, medical technology has fended off numerous attempts by nature to kill me. I believe in air conditioning, refrigerated and frozen foods, killing mosquitos, and civil engineering. I cheer the gas-powered vehicles that bring fresh GMO crops from distant places.
I enjoy nature and oppose gratuitous waste and destruction but still know that nature thinks my goal should be to become compost. Alligators and polar bears are to be admired but only at a safe distance with unnatural weapons readily at hand.
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Generally, I agree with the post. However, "we are here, instead, to improve nature" would seem to preclude invasive species. Invasive species are seldom an improvement -- unless you think you can do better than the Creator.
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So are petroleum and coal.
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