Introduction
“Natura’s mission is to promote ‘bem estar bem ‘, the well-being and being-well.
In Natura’s philosophy, everything is connected. The Natura experience is all about building the relationship of yourself with others and the nature,” our Natura host Jimena Berlanga opened the introduction of the company passionately by talking about the meaning behind the brand. I immediately sensed the similarity between this idea and the concept of “Tian Ren He Yi” in ancient Chinese philosophy.
Well-Being and Being Well
Well-being is the harmonious, pleasant relationship of a person with oneself, with one’s body. Being well is the empathetic, successful, and gratifying relationship of a person with others, with nature and with the whole . Natura’s mission is to help people achieve both at the same time.
“Tian Ren He Yi” – Harmony Between Man and Nature
One of the basic concepts in ancient Chinese philosophy is that mankind and nature are integrated.
In the phrase “Tian Ren He Yi”, “Tian” means the universe and nature, “Ren” means the human being, “He” means being integrated with respect of each other, and “Yi” means one piece. Since the famous ancient philosopher Chuangcius raised this idea in about 300 B.C., it has become an important theory in Confucianism. It warns us that the idea of using technology to conquer nature is not appropriate as human beings are part of nature and are closely connected with it. It asserts that the harmony between a person’s mind and the body, and the harmony between a person and the world around him/her should be the basic belief of the human being.
The opportunity: Bringing Natura to China
When I learned during the presentation that Natura currently operations in Latin America and France and there is no presence in Asia, it suddenly came to me that Natura should expand to China as I’m sure this Brazilian brand’s view of balanced relationships between mind and body and between self and others will resonate among the Chinese.
