Photo adapted from Sara Juggernaut @ pixaby.com
When I sat down to write my “N” post for the Blogging From A-Z Challenge, I figured writing about nature would be easy. Gaining an appreciation of “natural beauty” seemed like something I could write about without thought. After all, barring a natural disaster, it’s not very often we hear people talk about how ugly nature is. Nature’s beauty is sort of a given. Everyone knows that already. So why would I need to convince people to experience this beauty for themselves. A no-brainer, right?
Then why do so few people get outside and experience nature firsthand?
After some thought, it occurred to me that nature’s beauty has some major competition these days. Check out these examples of what I mean:
What breathtaking scenery! In the 21st century, computers can create the details of the natural world with amazing accuracy. Computers generate rain, animate insects, illustrate the wind, and place viewers right in the midst of it all. Why would anyone bother to go outside when nature can be experienced on a television screen from the comfort of the couch?
Here’s why:
As good as those computers are, they can’t compete with the real thing.
True natural beauty can’t be computer generated. I’ll take hopping from one sun-warmed boulder to the next along Lake Superior over watching it on TV any day. I’d rather lie in the freshly cut grass and stare up through the leaves of an ancient oak tree than pick pixelated flowers in a video game. Take me to the ballpark where I can eat popcorn and come home with a slightly sunburned nose. I’ll take the real thing over the artificial substitute every time.
Now, the million dollar question: How do we get kids to pick the beauty of nature over the electronic version? I’m still working on that…
Sometimes you just have to tell the kids to go outside. That’s what I did when my kids were little. The other day my 18-year-old daughter walked way out into our pasture admiring all the wildflowers. The Valley Fire burning through here last September did something to make the wildflowers so thick, I’ve never seen anything like it – California Poppies, Lupines, and Daisys, the whole pasture is just full of flowers. She came back with a few flowers (she dries them and has a collection) and she told me her little walk among all the wild flowers was life changing. She said it was truely amazing. 😀
Shelly @ http://hangryfork.com
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Wow, that sounds like a beautiful scene! My husband and I had this lengthy conversation about differences between nature on TV or video games and the real thing, and we just kept coming back to that sense of awe. It’s really a multi-sensory experience that can’t be replicated. It sounds like your daughter definitely experienced that!
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We set clear limits on video games. Grades first, games second. We also encourage our kids to be active and actually go out with friends. It’s weird!
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I’m glad to hear we’re not the only “weird” parents around who have rules about video games. I don’t mind them playing sometimes, but they can be so all consuming. I’d rather their brains be consumed by other things!
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