Modern living can make us sick. Human's today are wired for a slower living pace, but we push ourselves to live at a pace we are not hard wired to handle. Modern day humans would rather save time then their sanity. Racing through life can drain us emotionally and physically. Colleges are now pushing students out the door where once they used higher education to test subject areas "in their own good time."
I discovered an antidote to this stressed out life we live: a hike in the woods. The quiet, slow pace of walking, the sights and smells and scenery restored me to wholeness. A day in the woods, along the seashore, or in the desert, will restore anyone who takes the time to go and use the silence to reflect on their life. One day, here's what I discovered.
It was a narrow, dusty, and dangerous trail that ran next to a 500 foot drop-off. On my left was a waterfall that tumbled over hundreds of feet of granite and at its bottom a mist that took sunlight and broke it into many colors — yellow, red, orange, indigo, and blue. Reaching out from the misty colors was an open meadow sprinkled with orange and yellow flowers. In the middle of the meadow a family of moose was having lunch.
I was mesmerized by the scene before me — its beauty, tranquility, and grandeur. My heart beat in syncopation with the tempo of the water that poured over the rocks below. My stress from everyday life melted like ice in the summer sun. I felt refurbished, relaxed, and reborn. At that moment my electronic gadgets lost all their purpose. They became an urban burden I was grateful to leave behind. It was plain to me that electronic gadgets could not bring to me any semblance of the peace and happiness I felt at that moment. As I walked the mountain trail I asked myself, how did humans get caught up in the frantic race to embrace these gadgets?
They evolved out of the 20th century into present day and are now called cyborgs. Cyborgs humans have certain physiological processes that are now controlled by mechanical or electronic devices, such as smart cell phones, iPods, iPads, and more.
These gadgets supplant human personal interaction and provide distraction from personal effort not even imagined fifty years ago. Human cyborg's embraced these new electronic tools, but not for survival, as ancient Homo sapiens did when they invented tools like spears, bows and arrows, slings called atlatls, and fire bows. Our new tools only provide convenience and serve the need for instant gratification. Today's cyborg humans can connect instantly to anyone on the planet who also has a cell phone, and can access information quickly. Are cell phones our personal wormholes?
It seems obvious to me that modern Homo sapiens achieved some dominance over Neanderthals by inventing tools, as discussed above. These tools allowed them to survive and then replace Neanderthals through assimilation. Will today's humans face assimilation by human cyborgs, who are now being more valued as workers in many industries? I believe this trend will no doubt continue.
Physical survival did not drive the development of electronic tools. Corporate profits were the catalyst, especially for new additions which come out in a matter on months. The frequent and minor tool changes do little to achieve any positive consumer ends. They are driven by our need to be "up-to-date," to be current with the latest gadget. Consumers today have shown they are willing to stand in long store lines, all night long, in freezing weather if necessary, to purchase the latest edition of a smart phone, iPad, or iPod.
The term "cybernetic organism," or "cyborg" for short, is used by Amber Case, an anthropologist and university professor, in her TED television presentation. TED is a science forum that invites smart people to talk about their brilliant ideas. Case sees culture as a holistic scheme and wonders how electronic technology, gadgets she calls them, impacts Homo sapiens? (For the record, she calls herself a "cyber anthropologist.") Case feels these latest cyborg tools have changed humankind by stealing and replacing reflective time for on-line time. In reflective time, she says, we learn who we are, while on-line participation provides us with little learning of consequence. Case feels today's tool development can serve as an extension of human's mental self. She predicts this extension of human mental self will have dire negative consequences.
What is the human cost of these gadgets and modern living? Watching television, one is struck by the fact that commercial ads promote a plethora of drugs: for high blood pressure, depression, sleeplessness, skin ailments, erectile dysfunction, breathing difficulty, skin eruptions, tired eyes, and more. My view is that these new electronic tools do nothing to improve ones quality of life, they only offer ways to fill blocks of time with what we have been told are time saving devices. The basic human spirit, in my view, needs a break from this intense demand on time, attention, and resources. That break, I assert, can be found in nature.
Out on a mountain trail, seated by the sea shore, or lounging under a tree with nothing to do is when we begin to heal and discover who we really are. Nature promotes and allows for reflective time. Jettisoning these electronic gadgets is like finding a treasure in your closet. You begin to feel energized and free from the mental agony that today's ordinary life generates. People who can't fathom being far from their electronic tools need to ask a few simple questions. For instance, "Can a walk in the woods make me a happier, better adjusted, smarter, more creative person?"
Studies show that being in nature energizes your brain, soothes your psyche, and can make you smarter. If intelligence were measured by a test score on a creativity measure, as it is by some social scientists, then it might not be hyperbole to say, you'll be smarter after time in the woods. Two studies conducted by the University of Utah and the University of Kansas found that backpackers scored 50 percent higher on a creativity test after being in nature. All test subjects were disconnected from electronic devices such as I-pods, I-pads, cell phones, radios, and other electronic distractions.
So writers and creative types: a little nature can work miracles by releasing the creative juices. Modern electronic gadgets interfere with a true peak experience in nature by attempting to make something real that is a virtual representation.
