Nature Deficit Disorder

bi·o·phil·i·a  (n): a love of life and the living world; the affinity of human beings for other life forms.

It's something I've known intuitively, in my soul, but also something that's been expounded upon by great thinkers like Edward O. Wilson, John Muir, Ralph Waldo Emerson and Richard Louv - that human beings have a natural urge to connect with nature.  My parents weren't nature buffs, and without being told, I've come to learn that I do need it.  Nature calms, re-energizes and inspires in a way most things cannot.  

Wilson is known as the father of sociobiology.  He proposed the possibility that the deep affiliations humans have with nature are rooted in our biology. Unlike phobias, which are the aversions and fears that people have of things in the natural world, philias are the attractions and positive feelings that people have toward certain habitats, activities, and objects in their natural surroundings.  Emerson was a 19th century essayist and poet, and a champion of individualism.  He suggested that God does not have to reveal the truth but that the truth could be intuitively experienced directly from nature.  Louv is a journalist and coined the term "Nature Deficit Disorder" with the hypothesis that human beings, especially children, are spending less time outdoors resulting in a wide range of behavioral problems.

In my own life, I've developed an enormous appreciation of nature and my time spent in it - whether it be gardening in my yard, an urban hike through reclaimed land in San Francisco or backpacking in the Sierras - there's something magical, healing and inspiring about nature.  

"Walk away quietly in any direction and taste the freedom of the mountaineer. Camp out among the grasses and gentians of glacial meadows, in craggy garden nooks full of nature's darlings. Climb the mountains and get their good tidings, Nature's peace will flow into you as sunshine flows into trees. The winds will blow their own freshness into you and the storms their energy, while cares will drop off like autumn leaves. As age comes on, one source of enjoyment after another is closed, but nature's sources never fail."  - John Muir, Our National Parks , 1901

Are you suffering from a nature deficiency?  The good news is that it’s an easy fix, with benefits that have the power to change the course and quality of your life. Here are a few quick tips to get started:

• Eat lunch outside or take a brisk walk a few times a week 
• When possible, take off those headphones and listen to the sounds around you
• Take your eyes off the computer screen and look out the window
• Dig in the dirt - get a plot in a community garden or do it in your own backyard
• Enjoy a weekend getaway in the great outdoors

Whatever you do, and however you do it - Get outside and get reinvigorated!  

It's a Right, Not a Privilege

Privilege (n): An immunity or benefit enjoyed only by a person beyond the advantaged of most.

Right (n): That which is due to anyone by just claim, legal guarantees, or moral principles.

Responsibility (n): Being answerable or accountable for something within one's power, control, or management.

At first glance, it's easy to view these terms as mutually exclusive. From their definitions, we can see that what is a "privilege" cannot be a right since rights are enjoyed by everyone, while a privilege is reserved for a select group. Likewise, it's impossible for an individual to take on the burden of responsibility if they lack to the right to vote in the first place.

Despite this initial judgment, many people view the ability to vote as all three simultaneously and weigh "right" after "privilege" or "responsibility." For example, many believe the ability to vote is a privilege granted to today's eligible voters by those who fought for it in the past either through war, grassroots movements, or legislative battles. These struggles have kept the United States as an independent nation and granted us the right to vote with the passage of the 15^th, 19^th, 24^th, and 26^th amendment, in addition to the legislative victory of the Voting Rights Act of 1965. From this perspective, it is a privilege to live in the United States, standing on the shoulders of these past giants, and we have a responsibility to vote because it honors those who have put their lives on the line to protect it. Excerpted from www.fairvote.org

Respect for every vote and every voice means that while we honor voting and our nation's heroes, we oppose the government having the power to infringe upon our fundamental right to elect our representatives and exercise our voice through our vote. 

There are so many important issues at stake in this election.  Exercise your right to make a difference.  Get out and VOTE TODAY! 

And then check to see whether the candidates and media are upholding our civil liberties in this election at ACLU Liberty Watch.

 

Lessons in Life

I firmly believe that all of life is about learning, changing, growing.  Trying to be a better person, to find a purpose, love, fulfillment.  

So far, these are some of the most important things I've learned.  The list is still growing...

Learn something every day.  It can be small (like a new word) or large (like tackling a new computer program or hobby), but never stop learning.

Smile.  Even if you don't feel it, because when you smile, the world does smile back at you, and before you know it, you will be smiling.  Each day is a gift... make it fun.

Look.  There is beauty all around you.

Listen.  It's the lost art.  When someone is talking, pay attention.  Be in the moment.  Make them feel important, and make a real connection.

Make mistakes.  It's OK.  Above all, don't be afraid of trying.

Quit procrastinating.  There really is no time like the present.  Don't let opportunity, and life, slip away from you.  Make every moment count.

Do what you love.  You don't necessarily need to make a career of it, but do that thing, because it will feed your soul in ways that are indescribable.

Live simply.  Enjoy what you have and get off that hamster wheel of consumerism.  It's empowering.

Live in the moment.  Stop your past and future tripping or you will never be happy, and you'll miss out on all the beautiful details.

Be who you are.  And if you don't look in the mirror and love that person, create a new you who you admire.

 

Are You an Urbanite?

ur·ban·ite.

From the Urban Dictionary: A person who inhabits one of the major cities in the world, aged between 17 and 44. An urbanite is an affluent consumer with an optimistic outlook on life that is very different from those who live in "small town" or rural areas.

Urbanites are both a subculture and a contemporary lifestyle. They have 6 key characteristics: Time-poor, city-proud, media-literate, brand-centric, trend-sensitive and culturally-aware.

The British newspaper Metro has listed the 10 "Great expectations" that above all else motivate and drive Urbanites:

1.   Expecting to live a meaningful and experience-rich urban life.
2.   Expecting to succeed in multiple areas of life (not just career).
3.   Expecting to get substantial fulfillment from work (not just cash).
4.   Expecting to be at the hub of a large friendship network.
5.   Expecting the traditional ideal of "true love" in the modern world.
6.   Expecting to have to "make time" in order to have and enjoy time.
7.   Expecting to use debt to have what they want, and have it now.
8.   Expecting to have a progressive government that delivers results.
9.   Expecting to live in a pleasant "urban village" area of their city.
10. Expecting to live a responsible life as an urban consumer. 

Wow, do we have a lot of expectations!  Can I axe numbers 6 & 7?

Tea Time #1

I love taking the time to enjoy a cup of tea.  There's something inherently calming about imbibing a warm cup of herbal essence.  Even more enjoyable, is when the tea in question has a meaningful bit of wisdom or inspiration attached to it, as do the Good Earth varieties.  Today's quote is:

"Make the most of yourself, for that is all there is of you."  - Ralph Waldo Emerson

Emerson was an American essayist, lecturer, and poet, who led the Transcendentalist movement of the mid-19th century. He was seen as a champion of individualism and a prescient critic of the countervailing pressures of society. He wrote on a number of subjects, never espousing fixed philosophical tenets, but developing certain ideas such as individuality, freedom, the ability for humankind to realize almost anything, and the relationship between the soul and the surrounding world.

 

Special Delivery

I recently went to an art showing that blew my mind.  

Expansive.  With more than 80 local artists contributing in a space measuring 36,000 square feet.

Thought-provoking.  Social commentary ranging from religion, to politics, to the environment, to what we eat, to who we are.

And about to be destroyed.  September 30th was the last, and one of the very few days when this collection was viewable to the public.  The entire space has since been sandblasted.

The Story of Change

As a follow-up to my posts about simplicity and social responsibility, this new video by the maker's of "The Story of Stuff" is an interesting and compelling story about how to take the next step.

I'm an optimist by nature, but change for the better won't just happen.  I, and you, need to take an active role in directing the course for the future.  Whether it be through our vote, voice or dollar.