Steve Cutts - Man 2020 is an update of the 2012 video Man
"Time spent in nature is the most cost-effective and powerful way to counteract the burnout and sort of depression that we feel when we sit in front of a computer all day."
- Richard Louv
Modern cultures have been tragically separated from nature with deadly consequences.
A good example of this occurred when our governments locked us down in a completely failed attempt to control a respiratory virus.
Those locked down did not complain of their lack of ability to commune with nature.
But they did complain about not being able to go to the gym, the hairdresser, the pub, and restaurants.
While some of the locked down did miss going to the park, most lamented the fact they couldn't get out to spend their money to buy stuff and entertainments.
When we don't value nature, how could
we miss it?
we miss it?
Modern "advanced" cultures that are all in on Progress aren't into nature much, and it is killing us (and everything else).
How sad.
There are no technological advances that can substitute for the real thing.
Our nature deficit disorder can only be cured by repeated exposure to nature.
We must recognize that we ARE nature, and without it, we are nothing.
It could be the park, or a backyard garden. Bird watching or stargazing. Even simply sitting quietly outside in the sun and breathing fresh air is curative.
The most radical thing we can do at this point in history is reconnect with the natural world.
It is the only thing that will save us.
"We must recognize that we ARE nature, and without it, we are nothing."
ReplyDeleteKey point that we have lost - and then we complain about AI replacing us, not realizing that the one is the "natural" consequence of the other.
Yup. We replaced nature with technology, and now technology is replacing us, another part of nature.
ReplyDeleteLiving without exposure to the natural world is the ultimate dystopian nightmare for me. Might as well be in a pod.
- Gregg
I absolutely LOVED lockdown. Being at home with the children, cozied up around the fireplace and learning from home (with a bit of technology and a good dose of 'olden day' learning as well). Long family walks in nature, making up new games outside. Bliss. I did not remotely miss traffic, noise or even having to talk to many people. I'm an introvert, so I realise that wasn't the same experience for everyone. We always were outdoorsy types though, so it didn't change that much for us. What IS an uphill battle though as children get older, is monitoring the amount of technology they are exposed to. The current way of parenting seems to be give children a screen and that's it. I refuse to do that, which makes my life much harder and busier in some ways. But all our children know how to grow food, bake, preserve, ferment, live on limited income, budget, avoid debt, draw, create and care for animals. Those skills I feel are going to be much more useful for them in the future than sending snaps with filters or buying a new outfit on Roblox.
ReplyDeleteWe are in the LOVED lockdown category, too. It didn't affect our lives much, and we made some very important decisions at that time that have had very positive consequences for us. We live like monks anyway, and enjoyed the extra calm and quiet.
DeleteYour children are very lucky people to have parents willing to put the work in to raise them with love, care, and attention.
I had a teaching job once that saw me working with both rural students, and city students. There was a huge difference between the two groups. The city kids always showed up with cell phones in hand, and needed to be prodded to do anything other than look at them. The rural kids were attentive, and did most things before needing to be prompted. What a difference!
Do you live rurally?
We do live rurally, in a small town in the country. Not super rural, we can walk to the local supermarket, school, kindy and the few shops here. But a minutes drive in the car and we are proper country lol.
DeleteNavigating tech and phones etc is a nightmare. I would do without it all quite happily. I believe what you say about the city vs rural kids. I wonder if it's because rural kids often have practical chores that HAVE to be done? Either way, I hate smart phones, they are so addictive. We let our eldest have one now because she has to take a bus to college, but I have it very much monitored and locked down until she learns more life skills and self monitoring. She is already so responsible, but other children/parents are not and I understand the pressure kids are under to conform.
Lockdown was wonderful for us, it let us all be together and learn old skills (which we do anyway but now it was considered a legitimate exercise by the school!). We knitted dolls, and made dioramas, and read the entire Little House on the Prairie series. And since then I have happily kept the children home whenever I see they need a mental or physical break from the noise and nonsense that school sometimes brings. We don't earn much money since I stay at home, but we are happy and have no debt, so what would more money offer me?? More time away from the family, from my wonderful garden, from my home? No thanks! Life has gone all wrong for so many people, it's so sad to see.
John Taylor Gatto's books on formal schooling are eye-opening and sobering. They are in line with what you describe. -Erin
DeleteHi Erin, he is one of my favourite authors! Absolutely eye opening. Still, we've found rural schools are much more in line generally with our belief system and the children learn all sorts of really practical skills like gardening, bee keeping and fishing (we don't cos vegetarian but the option is there). There is no homework and there is a lot of emphasis on playing outside, sports (old school kinds, skating, biking, running and climbing trees and confidence courses etc) We did once full time, and still do homeschool part time on occasion. So the school is much more flexible in that respect. It's tricky to navigate when you have multiple children with different personalities (extroverts & introverts). All the colleges (high schools) here offer much more down to earth courses as well, in keeping with the rural sector I guess!
DeleteWe went on a beautiful hike last weekend in a local state park. As I moved through the river and forest, I recalled that, during the pandemic, park capacity was severely limited. At the time, I knew that was folly—the best place for us was outside in the sunshine and abundant fresh air! With hindsight, that restriction seems diabolical. How on earth could rational people think keeping people from the outdoors is good for health? I know they were manipulated to think so by people with bad motives. And I hope they’ve realized how wrong they were.
ReplyDeleteEach time I go for a walk, a bike ride, or camping, I feel the accumulated weight of working on a computer 7 hours a day melt away. I count myself very lucky to have a peach tree in my backyard. Each year I love March—the tree’s lovely light pink blossoms come on thicker each day. What a sight!
I can’t do without Nature; I was never meant to. As painter Jackson Pollock once said, “I am nature.”
Peace friends,
Erin
That sounds so nice, Erin. Nature is where it's at. Period.
DeleteSome think that the response to the virus will kill more than the virus itself. Definitely the biggest medical error in the history of medicine. I will never look at the government, or doctors, in the same way again.
- Gregg
Amen to that, Gregg! -Erin
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