Today’s youngsters are losing that close connection to Mother Earth that existed when families lived on farms or in rural areas, an alienation resulting in staggering human costs.
The term “Nature-deficit Disorder” refers to this ecological poverty, a burgeoning problem that warrants on-going discussion.
At the end of elementary school, few students have seen a coyote, an elk or a beaver, while many have never held a frog, heard an owl or learned to identify backyard birds.
Yet children possess an inborn affinity, an instinctive bond for the natural world, described by Edward O. Wilson in his hypothesis by the term “biophilia.” The term literally translates as “love of life or living systems.” Social theorist Erich Fromm described a basic psychological orientation in humans that draws them to all that is alive and vital.
The invention of television, electronics, video games, gadgetry – and most insidious of all, cell-phones and texting – resulted in humanity’s hyper involvement and a major shift away from spending time outdoors, whereby much of society has become estranged from nature.
Acclaimed artist and naturalist, Robert Bateman, crystallized his thoughts on the subject by stating that, for the first time in history, our connection with the natural world threatens to be broken by the majority of an entire generation, and perhaps generations to come.
Many fear that mankind may face a future filled with physical, neurological and social problems if this trend cannot be reversed. Simply put, children deserve the gift of regular contact with nature, and will suffer without it. Learning about plants and animals has proven particularly therapeutic for children with autism spectrum or attention disorders.
Pursuing a family nature walk several times a week allows little ones to fill their pockets with rocks, climb trees and puddle about in a creek. Changing seasons bring magic, with dripping icicles, sticky tree buds, rainbows of flowers and autumnal colour changes.
Increasing resources and promoting the nature-child connection will divert future generations from the over-stimulation and dangers of a virtual world. Parents and teachers should take every opportunity to encourage this connection.
Additional reading: “Last Child in the Woods – Saving our Children from Nature-deficit Disorder” by Richard Louv (2005).
E-mail Christine: wildernesswest@shaw.ca.
