My Ethical Relationship with Land

To me, and ethical relationship to land consists of many things.  The first and most important part is respect for land.  I am respectful to the fragility, dangers, and fruit of the land, but more importantly I respect the land like an elder.  The land has been around far longer then I have, and so I respect my place in terms of the land.  For instance I could hike every inch of the Flatirons, or the entire Colorado Rockies for that matter, but just because I can climb up the mountain doesn't mean I have any power over it.  Because whatever power or strength I demonstrate by climbing those mountains wouldn't exist without the mountains themselves giving me the opportunity to show my power or strength.  Just like an elder sets the foundation for the next generation to build, the land sets the foundation of all human potential.  Where would we be as a civilization or even a species for that matter if we didn't have the natural resources we have used since the dawn of humanity?   Yet instead of giving praise to the land we as humans have ignored its cries, and so instead of living symbiotically we live one sided, only caring about how the land can help us and not the opposite way around.  Along with respect, an ethical relationship with land relies on sharing. We have been taking from the land for so long that we have forgotten to pay for it, which is considered stealing among humans.  When animals take grass from the land they give back by fertilizing it.  Whereas humans take the minerals and fuels from the land just pollutes the byproduct of our industrialization into the air and seas that we live with.  For me, sharing with the land would mean sharing our knowledge and skills, rather than destroying forests and walking away we should plant new trees and provide new ways for the destroyed ecosystem to thrive.  Another part of an ethical relationship is sympathy.  The land may not be alive but that doesn't mean it cant feel.  This Earth is so large and vast and has seen so much change over the course of its existence.  Now we as humans are rapidly altering the course of nature and if we aren't going to do something about it then the least we could do is feel for it.  This land is as much a person as you and me, and just because it can’t speak up doesn’t mean it deserves to be ignored.