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In this article, I also learned a lot, including how to get along with nature and how to look at everything we get from nature. The answer is simple, that is, gifts. Everything we get, whether it is plants growing on the surface or minerals buried underground, are gifts given to us by nature. And since we have received a gift from nature, we must return the gift. This is the way to get along with nature. After understanding this, we can also better reconcile with the indigenous people, because the necessary step for reconciliation is mutual understanding. When we can understand some of the thoughts of the indigenous people, we will have a clearer understanding of how to get along with them, which will become the key to reconciliation. An important step.

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Kimmerer's essay made me think about the way we live and how we're supposed to live. We now live in a world where we just cosume and take advantage of Earth's recourses and gifts without realizing that we as humans are also responsible for it. Having a relationship with the land is a lost art and it should not be that way. We should all see and treat Earth just as how we would with our own bodies because it will only take care of us just as much as we take care of it. Reciprocity and balance is key to Earth's preservation

-Gabriel L

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Kimmerer's essay resonated with me due to the warmth that permeated her words, despite addressing the troubling mistreatment of Mother Earth. I appreciate her eloquent depiction of Earth as a gift and her poignant commentary on our daily exploitation of it. The key takeaway for me is the need to redirect our attention and revise our ethical approach to foster greater respect for our land.

Kimmerer emphasizes the concept of reciprocity, urging us to hold ourselves accountable in the face of leadership failures. It serves as a reminder for all of us to shift our focus back to a time when we cherished and marveled at the beauty of the Earth. This shift towards appreciation is crucial for restoring a sense of responsibility and reconnecting with the intrinsic value of our environment.

Pragya Randhawa

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My personal feelings about the essay. Time for changes.  

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My personal feelings about the essay. Time for changes.  

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The essay by Robin Kimmerer “Returning the Gift” touched me to the core and also challenged me to reflect, to wake up from my sleep, to remember who we really are. I felt that with the modern upbringing in which I grew up and the environment where people only consume the Earth's resources, and elevate themselves as the highest branch of evolution, we have forgotten our true position in nature. We are children of the Earth and the principle of this Earth is the cycle of life where everything is interconnected, the gifts we take from the Earth must be given back to it to maintain the balance of nature. People in today's world need to reconsider their relationship with the Earth, to realize its power and wisdom. And then, when people change their relationship with the Earth, a new time will begin, a time when the Earth will give us its love again because we will not kill Mother Earth as we have been doing for a long time.

Diana Androsova

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From Kimmerer's essay, I learn that understanding Indigenous science alongside Western science is crucial. Kimmerer's idea of embracing diverse knowledge streams helps us see the world more holistically. To envision and act on reconciliation, we must respect and revive Traditional Ecological Knowledge, eroded through history. Kimmerer teaches us the covenant of reciprocity, emphasizing the need to give back to the Earth. This inspires responsible environmental practices. Overall, her ideas encourage unity between Indigenous and Western perspectives, fostering a shared commitment to healing the Earth and promoting a balanced, reciprocal relationship with nature.

-Harsh

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"Nature's Reciprocity: A Path to Reconciliation"

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"Nature's Reciprocity: A Path to Reconciliation"

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"Returning the Gift" by Robin Kimmerer communicates valuable lessons on reciprocity with nature, emphasizing the Indigenous perspective on environmental stewardship. Kimmerer advocates for acknowledging the Earth's gifts and assuming responsibilities for its care, promoting a harmonious and sustainable relationship with the environment. By integrating Indigenous knowledge and respecting diverse cultures, the essay encourages a comprehensive understanding of our connection to the land. Kimmerer's ideas, rooted in ethics of sustainability and community collaboration, provide a framework for a purpose and acting on reconciliation by emphasizing interconnectedness, cultural respect, and a commitment to a just and sustainable future.

: - Ankush Kumar

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After reading Kimmerer’s essay, it made me think a lot about how we treat or return those gifts to the Earth. The Earth gives us everything we need for us to survive like food, shelter, medicines and other amazing things we enjoy so much. But sometimes, we forget to give back and take these gifts for granted. Kimmerer’s essay taught me the importance of gratitude and reciprocity in our relationship with the earth. Learning Indigenous peoples’ ways and wisdom to treat everything as if it were a person and protect the land’s rights serves as a valuable guide on how to show our sincere gratitude.

Krimmer’s idea helped me realize that there’s still time to give back to the Earth for all the blessings we’ve received. Let’s start doing something now before it’s too late. We need to change our ways, rebuild our connections, and reconcile with the Earth. We must correct the mistakes we made and do things that will help heal Mother Earth. To be responsible and respectful to everything around us, we must actively support sustainability initiatives such as waste reduction and water conservation, ensuring our actions don’t harm the Earth.

-Mercedes

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After reading Kimmerer’s essay, it made me think a lot about how we treat or return those gifts to the Earth. The Earth gives us everything we need for us to survive like food, shelter, medicines and other amazing things we enjoy so much. But sometimes, we forget to give back and take these gifts for granted. Kimmerer’s essay taught me the importance of gratitude and reciprocity in our relationship with the earth. Learning Indigenous peoples’ ways and wisdom to treat everything as if it were a person and protect the land’s rights serves as a valuable guide on how to show our sincere gratitude.

Krimmer’s idea also helped me realize that there’s still time to give back to the Earth for all the blessings we’ve received. We need to change our ways, rebuild our connections, and reconcile with the Earth right now before it's too late. We must correct the mistakes we made and do things that will help heal Mother Earth. To be responsible and respectful to everything around us, we must actively support sustainability initiatives such as waste reduction and water conservation, ensuring our actions don’t harm the Earth.

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Returning the Gift” by Robin Kimmerer suggests that if we do not appreciate nature’s generosity, we should be kind to the earth instead. Kimmerer talks about how the earth should be treated with some love and gentleness as if we would with our closest buddies. My favorite part in the essay where Kimmerer explains that we can take care of the Earth, be friends with it if when one of our friends needs help, we are willing to offer assistance, is this part. It makes me think about the value of simple acts such as thank you’s because they also seem to contribute significantly just as they do in friendship.

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The Transformative Power of Gratitude and Reciprocity in Our Relationship with Nature:

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The Transformative Power of Gratitude and Reciprocity in Our Relationship with Nature:

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After reading "Returning the Gift," an essay by Robin Wall Kimmerer, my viewpoint on our connection with the Earth has changed significantly. I was deeply inspired by the idea of practicing gratitude as a mutually responsible habit, which challenged me to recognize and appreciate the blessings that the Earth provides to us on a daily basis. Kimmerer's emphasis on reciprocity pushed me to think beyond simply acknowledging what nature has to offer and consider how I may actively contribute to the planet's well-being. My point of view has changed as a result of the essay; I was inspired to observe nature more closely, discover the names of the creatures I live with, and acknowledge their humanity. In the end, what I've discovered is that developing a mutually beneficial connection with the Earth involves both showing appreciation and actively taking part in the maintenance and conservation of our natural surroundings. We are all connected, and it is our duty to make a constructive contribution to the complex web of life that supports us.

Prabin Kumal

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In the article, Robin mentioned about what does Earth ask of us? That the Earth does ask for nothing or we may not be listening at all? Robin brought something in the article that gratitude is the most powerful as a response to Earth. I agree with that statement that gratitude is one of the way we can show our appreciation of the Earth today, the act of giving back, knowing Earth is getting older. We are surrounded by distractions everywhere that sometimes we may forget to appreciate the world we live in.

Jayve Gozon

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Have I Given as Much as I Take? Gursimran S

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Have I Given as Much as I Take? Gursimran S

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While reading the article by Robin Zimmer the one question that kept coming to me was have I ever truly returned the gift of this earth we live on? We take so much from the earth and continue to take more and more, but I have never thought if the earth asks us for something in return. All it takes is having gratitude, being grateful and thankful of the gift we have received. As a person with religious and spiritual beliefs, I believe that the world around us, the land, the water, the animals, asks for nothing, they just show us through the negative effects we have on earth. We should be good stewards of the land, it gives us all we need to survive, without it, we have nothing. " For if we don't change, we will, like all that does not change, perish" (Robin Kimmer, Returning the Gift)

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Be active participants of the Earth's gifts - Nuket

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Be active participants of the Earth's gifts - Nuket

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Robin Kimmerer's essay "Returning the Gift" encourages a sense of gratitude and responsibility towards the Earth, emphasizing the importance of viewing nature's blessings as gifts rather than resources or services.He suggests that we must stop exploiting the Earth's bounty. He highlighted that instead of asking what more we can take from the Earth, we should ask what we can give back by encouraging a balance of giving and receiving.I have been thinking about this for a long time because we have become such consuming creatures. There is no other species that causes more damage to this world than us! In the story of Skywoman, which he specifically mentions, he exemplifies what reciprocity is and reminds us that we are not passive recipients of the Earth's gifts, but active participants in its well-being. I think this part is very impressive, so I will share this article with all my friends - a baby step - so that everyone can realize it. By adopting this mindset of gratitude and reciprocity, we can foster a more harmonious relationship with nature, recognizing our interconnectedness and interdependence with the Earth. His ideas advocate a cultural shift toward gratitude and reciprocity that can guide actions toward ecological sustainability and reconciliation with the natural world. This approach clearly paves crucial steps towards reconciliation with the natural world.

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In the essay "Returning the Gift," Robin Kimmerer argues that we ought to treat the Earth with kindness and express our gratitude for all that it provides. Kimmerer discusses how we should treat the Earth with more kindness and empathy, much like our best friends do. The part in the essay where Kimmerer demonstrates how we can take care of the Earth and be friends with it by lending a helping hand to a friend in need is what I find most appealing. It makes me consider how, much like in a friendship, seemingly insignificant actions like expressing gratitude and taking care of the environment may have a significant impact.

- Daniella

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Reciprocity and modern life - Sharon Chavez

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Reciprocity and modern life - Sharon Chavez

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The concept of reciprocity is one that the Indigenous peoples of my country share with Indigenous peoples in Canada. I understand it well, even though it's difficult to reconcile and put into practice reciprocity while also continuing to live a modern, westernized lifestyle. The essay is a reinforcement of many things I've learned in the course, such as the concept that everything in nature coexists and there aren't insignificant beings. I aim to carry this into every aspect of my life. In terms of reconciliation, I feel that the author wanted to tell the readers that we all have a responsibility to acknowledge, learn and give back as we receive at every moment. As a settler, I benefit from living in this land but I know very little about the heritage of Indigenous peoples that have historically resided here.

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Realizing and Changing Perspectives - Lysandra Mahendran

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Realizing and Changing Perspectives - Lysandra Mahendran

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What stood out to me was how warm Kimmerer's words were throughout the whole essay even though it spoke about the horrible ways we have been treating Mother Earth. I love how beautifully she spoke about the gift we have and how we take advantage of Earth daily. What I took away from the essay is shifting my attention and changing our ethics to respect our land more. Kimmerer speaks about reciprocity and how we need to keep ourselves accountable because our leaders fail to do so. It's something we all need to focus on and get back to the appreciation and beauty we had before.

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This essay is really awesome and mind-blowing. The author, Robin Kimmerer speaks truth and wisdom. Her way of seeing the Earth is very inspiring and eye-opening. There are a lot of lessons that we can pick up from this writing as she is sharing very common and simple values that humans already know and do. However, the biggest catch for me here is that, humans are capable of gratitude, paying attention, recognizing names, changing and reciprocity, however, quiet often, these do not extend to all other living things on Earth. And this is what makes this essay so interesting because it challenges us to change that. To treat everything around us as equals, understanding that these whole creation has a voice too and has an equal right of survival like us. That we, as humans must understand that we are all interdependent with each other, and our relationship with Mother Earth must be respected and preserved too because well, we are the Earth too. Whatever we do around here, we also do to our selves. I completely agree with Robin that what we need is a change of mind, a shift in focus on where we fit into this whole surviving thing. And reconciliation must happen within ourselves first, getting back to seeing what is truly essential in life and maybe then, we will have a shot for positive change. - Everett