ABSTRACT
The natural world is both a nurturing home and a source of potential destruction. The sun warms us. The beauty of foliage, seacoasts, forests, plains, and mountains satisfies our aesthetic needs and inspires us to write, sing, and love one another. Yet these same elements have the capacity to destroy us if we do not protect ourselves from nature’s violent forces. For example, we must build shelters to prevent freezing in a snowstorm. We are also in danger if we misuse or destroy nature’s resources, for instance, by the uncontrolled burning of coal, which causes acid rain and destroys lakes and the creatures that live in them.
