Do you demand respect? If you do demand respect then surely that's an oxymoron. Respect, we are often told, is earned not expected, though just as often it's lost just as quickly.
When you go into the woods or any wild places for that matter, do you leave litter, or a fire scar, do you cut down living trees for no real purpose, do you sit round the fire getting drunk? Surely the nature deserves a little bit of respect too. If a friend invited you to their house would you tear up their furniture, light a fire in the middle of their living room or get drunk and defame their character after their invitation? Surely then, the nature deserves the same courtesy, we are entering her house, it's her grass and trees and wood and scenery, treat it with respect and she will respect you in turn. Be still and quiet, listen to what she has to say and she will draw close to you, for she is as curious about you as you are about her, disrespecting the gifts she has led out for you will simply cause her to retreat beyond your knowledge, such a waste that would be.
I am at home among the trees.
J.R.R Tolkein.
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