Entrance to the Woods by Wendell Berry

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How Modern Societies should interact with the Natural World in order to be Healthy
Much has been written about civilization in the modern society. The current society has been distracted from nature which negatively affects their livelihoods. One person that effectively tackles the contradiction that exists between nature and society is Wendell Berry in his story “An Entrance into the Woods.” He analyzes the urbanized person and his/her attachment to the environment and discovers that civilization has detached people from taking care of nature (Berry 770). But, we all understand the importance of nature to out healthy living. In this regard, this discussion suggests how modern societies should interact with the natural world in order to be healthy.
One of the main points raised by Berry is that people are not aware of their surrounding because the society is moving fast (Berry 767). Civilization has prevented people from seeing or understanding the things that occur around them because they struggle to adapt to the fast life that comes with urbanization. One of the most fundamental things that people fail to recognize is the natural environment. For instance, Berry says, “The faster one goes, the more strains there is on the senses, the more they fail to take in…the longer it takes to bring the mind to stop in the presence of anything (Berry 764). In short, the fast pace of the society is causing individuals to rush over everything in life without realizing the harm it causes.

People fail to realize the importance of conserving the environment thereby destroying nature which brings healthy life to them. Therefore, the best suggestion to help individuals interact with their natural environment is to let the dependence on technology and civilization die off to start realizing the importance of the natural world. Civilization and technology create a fast life, which is the main reason people fail to see what is around them. If people stop this dependence, they will begin to interact more with nature, which will, in turn, help them conserve it. This will, therefore, ensure they live healthy lives.
Conclusively, Berry’s analysis highlights the damage civilization and industrialization has caused to our society. People are fascinated with the fast and easy way of doing things that they have forgotten the fundamental aspects of the society, which is nature. Thus, realizing this damage helps individuals to understand what is important to ensure they live healthy lives. This realization increases their interaction with nature.
Work Cited
Berry, Wendell. “An Entrance to the Woods.” The Norton Book of Nature Writing (1990): 763-774.