"It's time to bring down the barriers between children and the natural world. Hard? Of course. But we can do the best we can while we're here on Earth, and millions of children will surely experience the wonder of nature that past generatios took for granted." (Richard Louv)
Richard Louv's words about Nature Deficit Disorder (NDD) and it's consequences as well as his tries to remind us of what we seem to have forgotten, resonate a lot with us at Chilcotin Holidays. We who are blessed to be surrounded by almost unspoilt and wild nature feel the truth in them. But it is not only children who will benefit from bringing down the barriers. It will benefit all of us and I want to share with you some of my thoughts and experiences on this topic.
I grew up in the late 80's and 90's and know that a lot of people of this generation still remember what it was like to spend their afternoons playing outside in the garden, to visit the neighbours farm to look at their animals or to go on family hiking or camping trips.We grew up in a time of transition, before and through the rise of the new media and the new possibilities of affordable and easy accessible technology that came with it and which caught our fascination. It caused a shift in us und we started to prefer our own four walls over nature, as we suddenly could comfortably see, hear and learn about the world, nature and wildlife, without having to do a single step out of the door. And we taught our children the same.
What we were losing we were hardly aware of. Before I came to the ranch I travelled through some countries that, just like Canada, call wonderful and well preserved or wild and beautiful nature it's own. Having had all the time in the world to stay and explore a place as it pleased me, I realized that this is what I was missing at home where I too lived in a big city.
The serene silence of nature, disturbed only by sound of a stream or the happy calls of birds and the rustling of the wind, gives you ample of undisturbed time to to re-connect with who you are and what you want. There are no advertisements in your face saying 'youneed this orhave to be that' at every corner, no scrutinizing or curious eyes of a stranger making me question my myself and the image I present to the world.On my journey I started pondering about how amazing life is. How nature manages to survive in places of the harshest conditions and how it perseverates. How amazing it is that our bodies work as they do, that I can climb, carry heavy backpacks, run or stand still. With my rising appreciation, not only my love for nature grew and with it the wish to help preserve it, but also my inner strength and confidence grew as I found the time to reflect on many aspects of life and figure out my personal values.
I can only recommend to try the power of nature by completely immersing yourself in it on a regular basis and see what benefits you, your partner or children will gain from it.