Congratulations, You’re Compost
- Madhukar Dama
- 10 hours ago
- 3 min read
Man is just a tiny, inseparable component of nature, and has no separate existence from it:
1. Biological Dependency
Air: Humans need oxygen to survive, which is produced by trees and algae.
Water: Life is impossible without water, which comes from natural cycles (rain, rivers, groundwater).
Food: All food—plants, animals, even processed ones—originates from nature.
Microbiome: Billions of microorganisms inside our body help us survive; they come from natural environments.
2. Physical Composition
Same elements: The human body is made of the same elements as Earth—carbon, hydrogen, nitrogen, calcium, etc.
Stardust: Scientifically, all matter including us is made from particles born in stars.
Recycled matter: At death, our body returns to the earth, becoming soil, nutrients, etc.
3. Ecological Interconnection
Food chain: Humans are part of the food web—eating plants/animals, and in turn, being consumed by decomposers.
Ecosystem services: Forests purify air, bees pollinate crops, wetlands filter water—all crucial for human survival.
Biodiversity: Loss of species harms the entire web of life, including us.
4. Evolutionary Origin
Common ancestry: All life, including humans, evolved from the same single-celled organisms.
Natural selection: Our traits and survival mechanisms were shaped by natural pressures, not created separately.
5. Psychological Connection
Mental health: Nature exposure reduces stress, anxiety, and depression.
Biophilia: Humans are naturally drawn to nature—greenery, animals, flowing water.
Separation anxiety: Over-urbanization and disconnection from nature lead to emotional and societal issues.
6. Cultural and Spiritual View
Ancient beliefs: Many traditions (Hinduism, Native American, African tribal, Taoism) see humans as part of nature, not separate.
Rituals: Worship of rivers, trees, animals shows cultural recognition of our oneness with nature.
7. Climate and Survival
Climate regulation: Nature controls temperature, rainfall, seasons—without which human life is impossible.
Natural disasters: Earthquakes, tsunamis, hurricanes remind us we’re not above nature.
Environmental collapse: Destruction of nature leads to our own suffering—pollution, disease, scarcity.
8. No Autonomous Existence
Technology uses nature: Even machines and cities depend on mined minerals, water, fossil fuels—all from Earth.
Energy sources: Sun, wind, fossil fuels, hydropower—all natural.
Garbage cycle: Waste must return to nature—air, water, soil.
9. Cyclical Life and Death
Birth to death cycle: We’re born, live, die, and decompose—just like all natural entities.
Nothing is wasted: Our body becomes nutrients for other life forms. This cycle ties us forever to the natural system.
10. Perspective and Scale
Tiny on Earth: Physically, humans occupy only a small fraction of Earth's surface.
Tiny in time: Human existence is just a blink in Earth’s history (4.5 billion years).
Tiny in space: Earth itself is a speck in the vast universe—emphasizing how small and dependent we are.
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a handful of dirt
(in the style of Charles Bukowski)
I was born in a hospital
with fluorescent lights
and a screaming mother—
but really,
I was born in the mud.
in the piss of rivers,
the spit of stars,
the cracked laughter
of old mountains.
they gave me shoes,
a job,
a mortgage,
but they forgot
to give me trees.
forgot to remind me
that the wind
was my first god.
that my bones
were borrowed from the rocks.
I drank their beer,
wrote my name in ashtrays,
and cursed the moon
like it owed me money.
but the truth?
I’m no more important
than a beetle under a leaf.
no more permanent
than smoke.
we come,
we rot,
we feed worms.
and even that
is poetry.
because the dirt
never lies.
and it’s the only thing
that ever truly
welcomes you home.