Health Viewpoints
I was a terror as a child. An energetic miscreant looking for stuff to break. If we had lived in a city, I would have ended up with neck tattoos before they were “fashionable.”
Fortunately, we always lived near unclaimed wilderness, so I labored away breaking logs for forts or digging caves that would give an OSHA inspector palpitations. I’d smash rocks to find out what was inside (more rock), and satisfy any need for thrills by trekking further from home than the day before.
Nature soothed me.
Growing up with a hippy mother who scoffed at religion, no one ever told me about God. “Divine” wasn’t in my vocabulary. But in the calming beauty of the natural world, the reality was self-evident: There was something unfathomably wise and benevolent behind the creation of this world.
While some scientists may try to isolate compounds and manipulate nature for specific ends, more broad-minded seekers will recognize that the profound complexity of natural creation has value we can’t quantify.
Sometimes, we are so beset with narrow goals, we undo the gifts nature offers.
We spray “weeds” like dandelions and plantain despite their impressive nutrition and medicinal effects. We even cut ourselves off from the sunshine and fresh air that can heal and renew us.
We wage an indiscriminate war against microbes, not caring whether they are friend or foe, thus making the dangerous ones stronger while depriving ourselves of those that are essential.
We over-sanitize our environment, creating an unnatural sterility that some researchers blame for the rise of allergies. Worse, we use cleaners that are poisonous to us. Meanwhile, gentler cleaners, made of microbes themselves, offer a safer and surer solution.
We choose a style of agriculture that pits us against nature by laying waste to the soil with herbicides so that only one plant can grow, a plant genetically modified to better withstand our preferred herbicide.
Fortunately, there is a growing awareness of our essential connection to the natural world, and the profound benefits this connection brings us.
Sunlight, vilified for its role in skin cancer, has profound effects on the body that a growing chorus of researchers are finally defending.
Natural foods are medicinal by default, providing the body with nourishment that allows it to heal itself and combat disease. And microbes, once denounced as little more than pathogens, are being recognized for the incredible roles they play in the human microbiome.
The very experience of nature can nurture our well-being. Time in nature is something doctors now prescribe for any number of conditions.
Some people seek to better align with nature by building homes that harmonize with the Earth’s cycles and minimize wasted water and power. Others pursue gardening styles that mimic nature’s complexity to create self-sustaining food forests.
While few of us can rebuild our homes, and a food forest may be too big a project, there are endless ways to connect with nature, from more plants in our homes to frequent walks in natural landscapes. All will benefit, both body and soul.
It’s worth asking yourself, “How can I connect with nature today?”
Views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times. Epoch Health welcomes professional discussion and friendly debate. To submit an opinion piece, please follow these guidelines and submit through our form here.