By Connor Gilligan
Homo sapiens have evolved to survive and thrive in the nature. We were not made for the sedentary lifestyle that we live today. Humans have been roaming the Earth for roughly 200,000 years; it is only in the past few thousand years that humans began living indoors and it has only been in the past several decades that the inhabitants of the modern world spend much of the day inside. Some people may wonder why it matters if we spend time in nature. Well, I’ll tell you why it matters! Per the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the average American spends 93% of their life indoors. Spending that much time indoors can lead to plethora of physical and mental medical maladies such as heart disease, diabetes, depression, asthma, arthritis, anxiety, osteoporosis, fibromyalgia, stress and many more. The May Issue will conclude the first installment of articles for the Zine. This gives me the chance to combine the information and ideas from my previous articles with this call for a return to nature. I will demonstrate the connection between nature and overall physical and mental well-being, while recapitulating the beliefs expressed in previous articles. In a way, this article is a strategic solution to one of the gravest problems faced by our society: happiness, or, more appropriately, the lack thereof. As a society, we can improve our collective health by spending as little as 5 minutes a day in nature. I suggest making it a point to spend at least a few moments every day admiring the natural beauty of the world around you. It will not only make you a healthier person but it will make you a happier person. People needed a return to nature to clear their minds of the heavy thoughts and stresses of everyday life. In the New York Times Bestseller book Bush Craft 101, author Dave Canterbury states “thirty years of the turn of the twentieth century, folks in the United States were rediscovering what it was like to spend time in nature and finding a release from the day-to-day life.” People all over the world are still returning to nature to alleviate their stress, but with less regularity than 100 years ago. The citizens of the modern world are under a lot more pressure and have a great deal more stress than ever before. Knowing this, it would make sense to spend more time in nature, yet we are doing the opposite; we accept the notion that we lack the time to do so. I believe that we are convinced that we do not have time for certain things, and it seems to be a common excuse for participating in activities that are beneficial to our health like exercising or spending time in the great outdoors. Why do you think 8 Minute Abs is so well known? Maybe it has to do with the fact that we are not willing to spend more than a few minutes participating in one of the most physically beneficial activities possible. We can disassociate ourselves from Big Pharma by reassociating ourselves with Mother Nature. We can regain our happiness and decrease our susceptibility to a number of ailments, simply by embracing the benefits of being in nature, such as exercise, sunlight and eutierria (a term defined by professor Glenn Albrecht as “a good and positive feeling of oneness with the earth and its life forces.”) Countless studies are being conducted with this idea in mind, and each new study has the potential to educate us on the endless positive possibilities of the great outdoors. In an article written for the Berkley Greater Good Science Center, authors Kristophe Green and Dacher Keltner expound on the idea of a return to nature by claiming “Over 100 studies have shown that being in nature, living near nature, or even viewing nature in paintings and videos can have positive impacts on our brains, bodies, feelings, thought processes, and social interactions.” Studies are constantly proving the connection between nature, over-all wellbeing, and happiness. I write this article to encourage anyone and everyone to spend more time in the great outdoors. After doing extensive research on the benefits of spending time in nature, I believe that I would be doing a great disservice to my readers if I did not inform them of the benefits of returning to nature. Dave Canterbury gives a piece of wonderful advice in Bush Craft 101 when he says “If you fell you’re trapped in an urban environment…return to the wild, turn of your electronic devices, and escape society’s constant pressure.” As a society, we experience more stress and pressure than ever before, so why would we be spending less time outside? I believe it has to do with the path we chose to follow as a collective culture; we want instant gratification and constant entertainment, and our smartphones give us just that. I have to admit that I am guilty of walking through the park paying more attention to my phone than the flora and fauna. But after researching the benefits of embracing the beauty of the great outdoors, I will never again take nature for granted… and I hope you do the same.
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