All Flesh is Grass

I recently finished reading a copy of The Broken Snare,the story of one man's deep end dive into the world of foothills ranching in the fifties. It follows the narrator's life from his escape to a romanticized world of simplicity and hard work, to the encroachment of mankind, progress, and it's quest for oil on the land that he worked so dearly to break and improve both for the benefit of his cattle and the surrounding wilderness. The man becomes heartbroken when he realizes that progress has no plan for him in its undertaking to subdue the natural world. He is eventually forced out and returns to the prairies, a broken man.

The intent of this post however is not a book review. I was particularly moved by one phrase the narrator kept repeating. "All flesh is grass." If you are not familiar, this is a passage from the old testament of Isaiah 40:6. Now I am not a christian man, but i do hold the belief that every religion may have something to offer if you look past its inherent flaw.

All flesh is grass, gives rise to the idea that man is simply transitory. He may be here now but he will not always be here. The grass however will. Nature will outlive us, just as it nourishes us and gives rise to our existence. Man is however often ignorant of this. The prevalent thought tends that we are the controllers of the world, that nature will crumble under our iron fist. Our plows and sheers are the creators of grain for the people of the world, but the real fact is that these same devices will reek havoc if allowed to function unchecked as commander rather than coworker. The rancher was able to recognize his place within the ecology of his land, and because of this, he watched over it, and took care of it, reveling in all its glory. It is an important lesson. Nature is here for us, but we also have to be here for nature.