In a world full of cities, politics, businesses, pavement, buildings, and just an endless wave of human footprint, it seems like the natural world is no longer needed. At least that is what it looks like if you turn on the news or watch a television show or a movie. This got me wondering why we at NaturalNatures, and others around the world, still decide that we would prefer to be out in nature?
This coming weekend I will be going on a short backpacking excursion, and the idea of rolling up in a tarp and a sleeping bag on a thin little sleeping pad appeals to me more than sleeping on the mattress that I usually crash on. I know I’m not the only one out there either, who would prefer to sleep outside in slight discomfort than be inside in perfect comfort.
Those who have not been indoctrinated with the love of the outdoors think those of us who would make that choice are insane. Something tells me I am not alone in thinking that people who want to sleep underneath a roof for their entire lives are the insane ones. I could just go off on why I think established comfort is insanity, but instead I just wonder: why does this dichotomy exist in the first place?
For me it comes down to an issue of familiarity. Nearly everyone is a bit guarded when they meet a stranger, but at one point everyone we know was a stranger to us (aside from maybe siblings and parents—I have to say maybe because I am part of an adoptive family). What makes us feel like we can start letting others in closer to us? It begins with those initial moments when you discover familiarity just from finding common ground with the person, and then we continue to spend time with him/her. Eventually that stranger becomes an integral part of our own existence.
Hiking together as close friends, including a friend we met on the road and the friend beneath our feet.
Now this may sound somewhat ridiculous, but I think it is possible to “get to know” more than just people. There was an Invisibilia podcast I heard not too long ago that talked about a small town in Minnesota where several members of the community were living alongside black bears. This idea is enough to freak some people out, but those of us who have seen black bears in the wild and have camped outside in tents for long periods of time, know that black bears are more likely to be skittish than aggressive around humans.
In that small community in Minnesota, many people decided to overcome that initial fear of the stranger, and many bears decided to overcome that initial fear as well. Because of that friendships were actually formed between members of these two species. People will think I am being a bit too overdramatic in calling those connections friendships, but that is solely because the right lens has not yet been affixed. Hardly anyone would think to call someone ludicrous who claimed to be friends with a dog, why can’t bears also be capable of the same kinds of relationships?
Founder Alex has a pet raccoon by the name of Jane. When you see the two together, you would definitely say that they were friends. Other people have pet birds, reptiles, and a large array of mammals, and when those pets have been cared for and loved on it is easy to see a connection. It all just had to start by getting over the fear of the stranger and sharing vulnerability.
The time has come to now push the boundaries a bit further as to what can be befriended by any human. Hopefully we can all agree that humans are capable of becoming friends with each other, lots of people can believe in pets being friends, and I’m hoping that at least some of you can buy in on the possibility of wild animals (such as bears or raccoons) being capable of becoming friends with humans. I could go on for a while of the evidences I have witnessed of wildlife being capable of friendship, or at least a recognition of humans as neither danger or food and a willingness to be befriended. If you would like to hear more on those stories and theories, leave a comment below, and if there’s enough positive feedback, I’ll give it a whirl. For now I want to turn our attention to a different possible friend though—the wild and untamed world.
Most city dwellers don’t get many opportunities to connect with the natural world, even the parks within cities are rarely untamed and wild. Because of this, the natural world becomes a stranger. I’ve met people, and even have good friends, who seem to be afraid of every aspect of the natural world. Each twig snap is an approaching predator, the dirt is some means of carrying disease, and all the foliage will kill you if consumed and just make you irritated if you happen to brush against it. All of these suppositions are false.
If a person is worried about animals (including arachnids and insects), I can personally attest to the fact that they would prefer just to sniff you and understand you than to eat you. When it comes to worrying about disease and death from bacteria or plants, well that is way off base as well. Much of the bacteria found in the soil in nature is actually beneficial to humans. Not only do those microbes help balance our own system, they can even help alleviate depression. This is in direct contrast to the vast amounts of harmful bacteria present in cities and work places. As far as plants go, yes, a lot of them can make you itchy and leave scratches on your body, but if you are foraging then the probability of you dying from eating the wrong plant is dramatically less than one’s chance of dying each time he/she gets in a car.
The truth is: the natural world is more beneficial to the human than the city is. So why are so many people unwilling to take that first step when approaching any stranger and delay the fear in favor of embracing the possibility of a new friend?
I know it sounds ridiculous, but my friendship with the Rocky Mountains is one of my few explanations for why I get excited every time I see them again after having been away for a while. My friendship with the desert seems to be the reason why I feel fine hiking in 100-115℉ heat, but I can’t handle sitting inside a room when it gets up over 80℉. One thing about the natural world is that it is a potential friend that requires us to come to it. I can promise that it wants to get to know you though. That is the only way I can explain how depression, stress, and any other emotional/mental pain can just melt away whenever I go for a hike. The fact that the natural world is my friend seems to be the only explanation as to why I can be on the most uncomfortable ground and still get the best sleep of my life every time I go camping.
So, next time you and the crew are planning on going out to take some NaturalNatures, make sure you take a moment to get to know that friend beneath your feet.