The value of silence

On my way back from the mountains, I was listening to NPR and a discussion with author Richard Louv. He was talking about a term he coined called Nature Deficit Disorder, a somewhat tongue-in-cheek reference to a noticeable decrease in the trend of Americans (and maybe others) to recreate or venture out into nature, even a tendency to be afraid of nature.

I've seen it also. One possible reason the author sort of discounts (which I think is wrong) is the influence of technology on the reluctance/fear of individuals to experience nature (raw or otherwise). I think technology has a large influence on our perception of nature. The media, also, has an influence. It's not an instant process, but an influence that has grown cumulatively over time (years, maybe even decades) from several sources.

The culture of instant gratification is taking hold. The goal-oriented society focused on a single objective doesn't have time to make the trip into nature, sit, relax, take it in, experience it, learn from it, grow from it, be inspired by it.

While I drove down the road listening to the radio I suddenly realized how loud it was in the car. The road noise, the radio, then thought about the noise of the city and urban life; the constant drone of computer fans, traffic, television, crowds, construction....

I looked around and there were mountains on either side of me, the sun was waxing and waning behind cumuluis clouds dumping snow, long farm roads disappeard into the distant green pastures. It was lunchtime, so I turned around and drove back a short distance to one of the side roads, Shoepeg Road, and drove west about a 1/2 mile to a smaller side road.

Between two small hills I stopped the car. This is where I would eat my lunch. The silence when I got out of the car was, as they say, deafening. The occasional cry of a bird, a killdeer, a raven, a red-tailed hawk, something else I couldn't identify. Quiet. It was relaxing. The sun was warm.

I made my sandwich and sat on the rear of the car looking at my surroundings. The rolling green fields of what appeared to be hay just starting to grow, about 4 inches high. The clouds dropping their load of snow on the higher elevations. It was peaceful.

It reminded me of a quote from George Baggley, the first college-educated Chief Ranger at Yellowstone National Park. In later life, after he retired following 40 years in the National Park Service, he wrote an essay and asked the question "How can we have a satisfying life without beauty?" He was a proponent of open space and understood the need for people to recreate, get out into nature and recharge, create their own experiences, learn and be inspired.

I don't understand how people can not be out in nature, don't get outside as often as they can (without dragging the city with them, i.e., radios/CD players/iPods, beer, ATVs, television, video games...).

It makes me realize that I've been caught up in technology as well and need to reevaluate my priorities, make a concerted effort to be more of an explorer again and much, much less a lumpy "cubicle dweller".