I will get to the part about throwing politicians into a creek, but first this:
Every terrain excites me: desert, mountain, seashore, prairie, riparian. Naturally occurring terrain, not endless farmland. However, not everyone agrees with me about the inherent beauty in all natural settings. I know people who think of the desert as “wasteland”, or that “the beach is boring”. Others may sense the beauty, but only from a distance, due to fear of snakes and other critters. Hey, it is a free country so people don’t have to love the outdoors.
The problem hidden within nature detachment is this: if we don’t appreciate and understand our environment, we are less likely to act as good stewards of our lands. Since our current government has no concern for our natural world, we must each consider how we can be agents for stewardship.
The first steps are to get outdoors and learn to appreciate the great beauty there. I should say re-learn, since only a few generations ago most people lived in the country and worked outdoors. Farmers knew seasonal movements of animals and birds. They witnessed trees blooming in the spring and turning golden in the fall. Their kids played in the forests and along streams, perhaps launching small toy boats they made the night before. Up north, they picked huckleberries and down south, captured crawdads. Immersed daily in nature, farmers and other outdoor workers valued the great outdoors. Ancient people lived outdoors and traveled with the season, their entire lives subject to natural events like storms and earthquakes. Nature was the life force, and religious beliefs centered on nature gods who expressed their wrath by causing violent weather.
Some relatively modern cultures proactively value a connection to nature. In 1859, Norwegians developed the concept of Friluftslive. Literally translated, the term means “free air life,” and it describes a belief that being outside, immersed in nature, is good for the human mind and soul. Even quiet outdoor activity brings a sense of wholeness, such as photography and bird-watching. For city dwellers who cannot get away, long walks in a city park bring the soul joy that develops a sense of concern for nature. The Japanese practice “forest bathing” or Shinrin-yoku. Again, spending time immersed in the outdoors, a forest in this case, is excellent preventative and curative medicine. Both friluftslive and shinrin-yoku reduce stress, which reduces health problems.
Americans who don’t care about climate change and the environment need a bit of friluftslive and shinrin-yoku, or anything else that allows them to be immersed in nature. In fact, I think that all conservative politicians should be required to spend a month outdoors. They can have food, water, and bathroom facilities but will sleep in yurts with only a wood stove for heat. Throw them in the cold creek every morning before breakfast. The rules also include being outside 8 hours a day. I would place stacks of field guides nearby so they can look up the birds, rocks, and plants. Fishing, kayaking, swimming, napping, almost everything is allowed while outdoors, except phones. I have to believe that after a month in the woods or desert, the politicians would have more appreciation of the outdoors and, perhaps, a desire for better stewardship. In this dream-scenario, the captive politicos would also attend daily 1 hour, teaching field trips. They would start learning the nuances in environmental science: symbiotic relationships in nature, the effect of elevation change on plant types while identifying one bird song and one new animal track. It is always the nuances, the subtle intricacies of the natural world that keep me deeply entranced by nature, and I believe they would open the hearts of others who see the environment exclusively as a giant well of resources.
Field Trip out of DC
Back to reality and the idea of be the change you want to see in the world. While in Florida I was totally immersed in nature, while living and working in a pine sandhill ecosystem. My soul sang most days. Now, I am enjoying life as a social animal again, but it won’t be long before I crave total immersion again. Solitude in nature is addictive. This time, I will hang out in the Northern Rockies, including Idaho and the Banff area. I am thinking about storing my camper in New Mexico and setting out in the van with a tent. I wish I could convince Tr– to go with me. Maybe not. Golf courses do not exist where I go!
