Why did we turn to Karelian mythology on Mother Earth Day? The way of life in many traditional cultures was eco-friendly. The Karelians also took great care of forests, water, and animals, although they lived by fishing, hunting, and gifts of the forest. It would seem that there was a lot of all those nature resources at the past and they could use them without thinking about the environmental consequences. But people have never taken from nature beyond measure, for the sake of profit. 6r6fm

What affected the attitude of the Karelians to nature? They thought: if man has a soul, then nature also has a soul. There was wide dispersed belief, that in the ground and under the ground, in the air and in the water, in the forest, in the field and in the house, next to a person, live invisible and very numerous beeings. They give power to all the elements, and therefore to man. The Karelians felt like part of the earth. And how could you not love and cherish what you are so closely connected with?
Perhaps if we can regain this attitude, we can gradually overcome the current environmental crisis.