” Nature must not win the game, but she cannot lose” – Carl G. Jung.
This quote (which is cut off in the picture) is inscribed on a mural adorning a wall in the 42nd Street – Bryant Park subway station. It is part of a greater art installation running along all the walls in the station hallways connecting the B,D,F,M with the 7 train. This artwork, one of the largest in the MTA system, shows “rock outcroppings, tree roots, pipes, and animal burrows”. It sits underneath Bryant Park and the beautiful Main New York Public Library Building. It made me think of the way cities in general and New York city in particular seek to or fail to balance their infrastructure with the nature around them. In many ways, nature is currently losing. To me this quote means that we must make deliberate choices to protect and preserve nature as we continue to build. Natural resources are not infinite. As more people move to cities, seeking to balance the natural environment with the built environment will become one of our most pressing challenges.
