Person’s Relationship with Nature from the Point of View of Rural Community

Abstract

In this article the connection between nature’s environment and upbringing in traditional Lithuanian culture is analysed. Its aim is to single out the main displays of the person’s relationship with nature on the basis of the scientific literature and analysis of qualitative interviews, and to determine the ways in which cultural environment and people’s outlook influence moral upbringing. There are three main people’s positions towards nature: harmonious, dominant – consuming and yielding – fear of nature’s elements. In the first half of the 20th century harmonious attitude towards nature was replaced by positions based upon consuming interests. However, it was based not only on the market requirements but as well on moral values, such as respect to life, frugality, moderation. Emotional - valuable relationship with nature influenced the peculiarities of moral upbringing.