For hundreds of years, humans have been threatened by the elements. Snow, cold, drought, wind, heat – these things have killed countless people. In modern times, we’ve achieved our dream: to subdue, control, rule over, the elements. Now we have air conditioning, climate control, artificial light, artificial food sources. We can sit inside and not even know or care what the weather is doing.
Some amount of control over our environment is obviously necessary for comfort, happiness and survival. But most of us are waking up and now realizing that the pendulum has swung too far. We are too isolated from the elements. We are realizing that being in nature is healing, and can improve the symptoms of many of our ills. It’s not just hearsay; science agrees.
Last week I went camping for 3 days with no cell service. As we were returning from the trip, I commented to my wife that during the trip I felt more healthy and alive than I had in years. I just felt…young, happy, free, energetic. I went to bed with the sun and woke up with the sun. I was never tired, groggy, irritable. I just felt fantastic.
What’s interesting is that I think smart people are starting to change their definition of success. Success used to be measured by: money, status, prestige, power, options. I truly think – and I’ve felt this way for a while now – that “Success 2.0” is none of these things. It is instead, our ability to spend unhurried and unplugged time in nature. Yes, doing this will require some of the old success – we do need money, flexibility, and some degree of financial stability. But happily, spending time in nature is much cheaper than buying fancy cars and houses to impress the world.
Notably, spending time in nature and living simply isn’t just enjoyable, but has many health benefits, especially for the bodies of chronically ill people who have more imbalances than normal people. Here’s a fantastic video by one of my favorite – and the nation’s most popular – alternative doc. I just love this video. Here’s a successful doctor who has over 1 million likes on his Facebook page. He probably is well off and could afford to be golfing and sipping gin and tonic at the local club. He could afford to be using his free time to cruise in his Audi down Main St. But that is Success 1.0. Instead, he, and many others like him (successful people with options) are choosing to pursue Success 2.0. In this video, he says he does this for 2 hours per day! Just amazing.
So the good news for folks like you and I – regular folks without great wealth – is that this kind of activity is much more readily achieved. I’ve had people tell me in the last few weeks, as I’ve explained this idea: “Bryan, you are out of touch, not everyone can take a walk whenever they want.” I’m going to dig in my heals on this one. I do not believe I am out of touch. On the camping trip I mentioned, my family got to know some new friends sharing the camp ground, and most of them drove 15 year old cars probably worth less than $5,000. Yes, spending time in nature may require a bit of ingenuity and creativity at work and at home to carve out more time. But the average poor American spends 40+ hours per week watching TV. Did you know that nature is cheaper than TV? Even these TV watchers could save money by cancelling their TV subscriptions and taking a walk instead.
Ultimately, the question isn’t: “Can everyone do this?” The question should be: “How can YOU AND I do this?” What small changes in our lives, schedules, priorities, and thought processes, can we employ, in order to spend more time: barefooted, in nature, without a cell phone, exposed to the sun, fresh air?
You may hear this theme repeated many times in my writings these days. Sorry for the repetition. I feel the repetition is necessary because we are so inundated with the OPPOSITE of nature: technology, indoors, screens, etc. We (or at least I) need constant reminder about this topic.
The fact is that our bodies were made to be outside, and we feel best when we spend more time outside.
Watch the video:
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