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 I recently came across the line “Our mastery of nature has been a removal from nature”.  We are seeing a current instance of that, in reverse, in our response to the Covid-19 pandemic threat. Many of us go for walks, visit in backyard tents, explore trails, etc., because staying inside all of the time has various unpleasant effects. Aware or not aware of what we are doing, we  return to nature.

But the larger reality began long ago with the Industrial Revolution which began about a century before our Civil War. Some date it as beginning with the invention of the steam engine in 1712. A more commonly accepted date is about 1760 when machines that made thread and fabrics began to appear. And in a very short time, the machine replaced muscle. Now everything has replaced muscle. We have mastered nature and removed ourselves indoors away from nature.  

What is next?