Yesterday’s topic, about scientists recently conducting tests to prove that nature is good for children, is a wake-up call that something is not right in the world. What’s most disturbing is the fact that these studies are simply being done to see if students get better grades if exposed to nature. Nothing was mentioned about health benefits or overall well-being.
Perhaps we can read this as a sign that modern day society has stopped viewing the Earth as a sacred life force, and healing source, of which we all are a part. It goes without saying that if we humans fail to see this, and value it as such, then it will ultimately be the end of us. But how & when did we get off-track?
Indigenous cultures have always had a strong connection to nature and appreciated its spiritual essence. Mountains, trees, and water have held particular attraction and energy. Many pilgrimages have been made to such sites and shrines and temples have been built in reverence. And not too long ago, in western spheres, doctors used to prescribe rests in the country-side or at the sea-shore or springs for recuperation. Now they recommend a pill.
Understandably, not everyone can afford an extended period away. Therefore, all the more reason to keep some form of nature in our own everyday existence and allow the time & space for it. That said, it’s still very important to explore beyond our backyards and travel down new paths. It’s this sense of adventure, discovery, focus, and awe, of nature and something bigger than us, which will really ignite the minds of those schoolchildren. And we’ll all be better off for it regardless whether or not it translates to better grades.
Earth and sky, woods and fields, lakes and rivers, the mountain and the sea, are excellent schoolmasters, and teach some of us more than we can ever learn from books. ~ John Lubbock
