Thoreau said "Birds do not sing in caves" so besides making people less fearful, Nature can make you wanna sing.
Good post and imo, we can't talk about this enough. I think the Truman Show and Bowling for Columbine for ex. were trying to make these points and that was BEFORE 9/11. So this culture of fear has been in the making for some time.
I find the usually most likeable and apparently happy people in the U.S to live in the extremes like the coasts or mountains. Just about every person I met in the Keys was friendly. Maybe its because they're around so much nature?
Posted by mark at May 30, 2006 09:34 PMTime to counteract the "tree hugging liberal" b.s thats been toxifying the realm of discourse ever since the right wing counter attack of the 90s when that drug addled bag of flatulence and his clones took over the airwaves. That nature could have any other value other than as capital-ripe-for-liquidation is a line of thought that seems to fill this faction with such utter horror you'd think by broaching it you were advocating the revolt of the industrial proletariat. But, in the dark corners of the psyche of the true believers maybe there isnt much difference; they both exist to be wrung dry and thrown away.
Posted by jondee at May 30, 2006 10:00 PMThe link to the Louv article is bad. (http:///)
Posted by fly at May 30, 2006 10:03 PMGood point.
The most fear-riddled place I have experienced was an outer suburb in Texas. Everyone huddled in their racially- and economically-homogeneous enclave with guns in the closet. Rarely see people on the street, people scared to even let their kids walk to school, attending soul-sucking megachurches and soul-sucking jobs in soul-sucking office parks. People with few apparent interests outside their own materialism, parochial as hell with disdain and disinterest in the world beyond the US. Rethug stalwarts with narrow minds mainlining fear and ignorance.
Compare to New York City, an environment statistically far more risky, where you see lots of teenagers out by themselves on the subways and in the parks.
Why do you think people live in gated communities?
Want to live a life relatively free of fear. Live on the river in the middle of a beautiful forest. Watch the birds, deer, rackoons, beavers and all of nature go about their daily business. Spend your time entertaining friends, drinking wine, growing flowers, swimming in the river and laughing. Then curtail your imput of fear by not watching the news constantly or blogging endlessly. Works for my sister and her husband.
Posted by Judith at May 31, 2006 03:00 AMDuckman GR--
Great post! Amidst the grind of a sophisticated, 'civilized' lifestyle we're reminded here of the values of remaining 'in touch' with our natural surroundings.
This whole idea resonates with me as valid and important; thanks for bringing a fresh-air reminder to us all.
mark--
Like you, my experience has been that the happiest people I can remember are those who surrounded themselves with nature's offerings. Whether where they lived or even just how frequently they returned to it, the colors in a horizon-teetering sunrise, the gurgling of a rushing creek or the sound of thunder during a wind-whipping storm are deeply moving experiences for such folk.
Sadly, many of us have lost our awareness of, and appreciation for, such natural inspirations. I'm going to make some time TODAY to spend some time in a natural setting, even if it means I must disrupt my sacred 'daily routine' to do so.
to all--
At the risk of sounding corny, I'll admit that the lyrics of the song "Colors of the Wind", from the movie Pocahontas, never fail to fill me with awe and wonder:
You think you own whatever land you land onPosted by Richard Harlos at May 31, 2006 04:16 AM
The Earth is just a dead thing you can claim
But I know every rock and tree and creature
Has a life, has a spirit, has a name
People who love nature are not some of the happiest people you will find nowadays: they are some of the most depressed.
Nature lovers know the level of irreversible destruction that George Bush and the Criminal Republican Party has inflicted on the American landscape and its wildlife. And there will be much more to come, as this is the one area they have complete control to "reward" their most environmentally destructive campaign contributors.
Conservatives are on the verge of gutting the Endangered Species Act, for example, so that protective actions to save a species will no longer be possible. They are awarding contracts to log the last ancient stands of the national forests as we post these comments. The right wing courts will not stop them, they have ceased interpreting the existing laws to protect the interests of the environment.
All this is going on with either the approval or disinterest of the American people. I don't doubt they are now afraid to go outside; the post and comments seem quite on target to me.
But their need for increasingly frenetic mental stimulation, supplied so ably by all our various (indoor) electronic gadgets, makes them increasingly immune and indifferent to the pleasures of the natural world, which require one to be attuned to stillness, tranquillity and "slowness". Actually, when most people do "go outside" today, they bring their goddamned music and noise with them---their brains are actively hostile to the absence of noise, to the actual experience of "nature".
And we won't even talk about the strain of thought amongst many fundamentalist Christians that one is not to value this world, one is to focus on the "next" better world to come. Indeed, Jeebus is fixin' to end this one in a holy fireball probably (hopefuly?) in their lifetimes, and really teach those lib'ruls a lesson, so "preserving" it is foolish; worse, it's probably against God's will!
To such people, the natural world has no attraction, and they aren't going to lift a finger to protect it. The Criminal Republican Party and its backers know this, and exploit it as part of their assault on the last remaining vestiges of "nature" that still exist.
Finally, "conservatives" know that a deeply held liberal political value is protection of the planet and wildlife. They are in favor of the Republican destruction of the environment just to spite their hated lib'rul opponents, and they positively delight and revel in the pain their reckless environmental destruction causes liberals. Never forget that much of what motivates "conservatives" is innate sadism.
It's all part of the politics as football game paradigm. Policies which protect the environment have been presented as "liberal", thus they must be defeated, or Team Liberal has scored a touchdown. Thus, "Conservatives" are happily destroying the earth for their children and future generations simply to wound and defeat their current liberal opponents.
Posted by euzoius at May 31, 2006 06:14 AMBy the way, now's the time to join as many environmental groups as you can afford.
To the extent that groups like National Wildlife Federation and Natural Resources Defense Council have any success lobbying Congress, it's dependent on the size of their membership.
Posted by euzoius at May 31, 2006 06:46 AMI don't know if anyone is still commenting on this (I've been posting at DailyKos recently and I'm used to 8 pm post = gone), but I really enjoy this post.
I know so many people who live in the midst of natural glory but won't take advantage of it because of the perceived risk. The idea that the outdoors are swarming with murderers, rapists, kidnappers, and the like. Here in Chicago, I know people who won't venture into even the swankiest parts of Lincoln Park because, hello, it's THE PARK. Homeless people (clearly meaning insane psychotic killers) might live there! But even in the most bucolic small towns I've lived in, places surrounded with all the glories of nature, people are considered terrible parents if they let their kids just wander off and play in the woods. We've reached a point in our society where you can't feel comfortable unless you're surrounded by concrete and cameras.
Posted by ChicagoDem at May 31, 2006 07:37 AMInvite one of your friends on a little outing to the park or something, take a co-worker to lunch and park somewhere with a nice natural view, get a couple more people a little used to the real world.
There's much to overcome, and being surrounded by concrete and cameras is definately one of them. Isn't that what they have in the prisons these days?
Posted by Duckman GR at May 31, 2006 09:15 AMI always enjoy your posts Duckman GR, and I wish you would post more frequently.
Posted by Monica at May 31, 2006 12:04 PMWant to live a life relatively free of fear. Live on the river in the middle of a beautiful forest. Watch the birds, deer, rackoons, beavers and all of nature go about their daily business. Spend your time entertaining friends, drinking wine, growing flowers, swimming in the river and laughing. Then curtail your imput of fear by not watching the news constantly or blogging endlessly. Works for my sister and her husband.
Posted by Judith
You are absolutely right Judith, I left the Detroit area last year (last one left please turn off the lights) and my health has improved dramatically. I still have not been able to totally tune out the news though; even a forest and lake can't protect my family from the fascist take over of this country.
Posted by Monica at May 31, 2006 12:08 PM