Academic Theory and Literature

“The Lord giveth, and the Lord taketh away, but He is no longer the only one to do so. When some remote ancestor of ours invented the shovel, he became a giver: he could plant a tree. And when the axe was invented, he became a taker: he could chop it down. Whoever owns land has thus assumed, whether he knows it or not, the divine functions of creating and destroying plants.” Leopold, Aldo. (1966). A Sand County Almanac.Oxford University Press. (p72).

My two cents: I see people struggle with this every day. Busy people with large gardens feeling overwhelmed, people who regard plants as obstacles in achieving there needs/wants, people trying to protect and nurture what they have and people who are oblivious to the responsibility and meaning of stewardship.