Can we agree that ‘humans’, as a whole, could be described as being as far from ‘natural’ as specially manufactured blocks and bricks are from simple rocks and stones ? We are certainly the least natural of any of the animal species we share space with on this planet.(if you can even call it ‘sharing’) We say we like natural things. We talk about getting back to nature, but really it seems we live most of our lives in a very unnatural state. Most, if not all of the things we do, most of the things we create, are totally unnatural. We basically make a whole lot of artificial stuff! We seem to miss the point, all this totally synthetic, non-bio-degradable, completely wasteful, unsightly stuff we manufacture has a very unnatural effect on our lives.
When I see what nature can do without any help from us, I am in awe. Even if you think only in terms of geology (and forget all the natural beauty of the biological and botanical world ) - consider the natural splendour and diversity of stone cliffs and terraces, or think about dazzling stone outcroppings you often see along the highways , about rocky mountain landscapes, stoney river beds and canyons, breathtaking coastal shorelines, and especially the great variety of glacial rock and mineral material that has been deposited here throughout much of Ontario.
You would think we could make something with natural stone that looks natural, without having to crush it or burn it, and make it into blocky chunks of artificial manufactured material. It may be commercially sold as ‘natural’ stone product but it isn’t
The exciting thing is, when it comes to building with authentic, real, unprocessed stone material, it behooves us to think about taking the opportunity to make something that looks like nature might actually have created it all on her own.
In this respect, the creating of dry stone walls remains one of the best examples of how we can collaborate with nature successfully.
If we take our cue from nature, if we truly respect the aesthetic of the natural world of stone and rocks, we would do well to always try to meet nature half way. The illustration of wall below is a case in point. If we ignore the beauty of the natural irregular terracing of the right side , and insist on always building in a blocky cookie cutter way, on the left, we force our manmade unnatural ‘look’ upon the landscape. There is enough of that already. Better to meet the stoney natural pattern halfway and create something beautiful, not just manmade.
