"You see, nature will do exactly what it must, and if we are a hindrance to its development, to even its destructive powers to reform itself and we are in a way, we will go"

The quote by Ralph Steadman provides a thought-provoking perspective on mankind's relationship with nature. At its core, it emphasizes the inevitability of nature's processes and the potential consequences for mankind if we hinder its natural course.

Steadman begins by asserting that nature will act according to its own rules and needs--"nature will do precisely what it must". This implies that nature runs on an inherent drive towards balance and self-preservation, often through cycles of production, destruction, and renewal. It is a pointer of the natural world's indifference to human concerns and its overarching power and autonomy.

The next portion of the quote highlights the idea that if human beings become "an obstacle" to nature's development, including its "damaging powers to reform itself", it suggests that nature's destructive procedures, such as natural disasters or environmental shifts, are also part of how it keeps balance. Damage in this context is not inherently unfavorable however rather a mechanism for renewal and transformation.

Humankind's interference with these procedures, whether through contamination, deforestation, climate modification, or other forms of environmental deterioration, can interrupt this balance. Steadman cautions that if our actions continue to oppose the natural order, we run the risk of being gotten rid of or lessened--"we will go". This expression works as a plain suggestion that nature, in its resistant and adaptive capability, will ultimately remedy the imbalances we present, possibly at the expenditure of human presence.

In essence, Steadman's quote is both a cautionary tale and a call to humility. It underscores the value of lining up with eco-friendly principles and respecting the intricate systems governing the natural world. By recognizing our capacity to hinder nature's evolutionary course, we are advised to embrace more sustainable practices and exist side-by-side harmoniously with the environment, lest we face our own undoing.