An architect recently spoke at a conference and reminded the audience that ‘we are animalistic by nature’.

Basically, we need nature more than nature needs us.

She pointed out that just 30 minutes in nature can reduce our blood pressure, lower our pulse rate, make us more productive, improve alertness, increase fitness, reduce anxiety, improve our attention spans, provide better quality sleep… the list goes on.

If we could put nature in a pill, Big Pharma would be all over it.

At this conference, a young man (millennial) said something similar to: “Hey, what if we had an app that would ‘notify’ us when we’ve met our 30 minutes of ‘nature fix’.

Then, an older man (baby boomer) replied, “isn’t that called a tan?” (Granted, we should still spend time outdoors when tanning isn’t an option, but you get the point.)

The room chuckled and the speaker reminded us that the goal of our time spent in nature is to unplug. Because in our modern world of 24 / 7 connectivity and an app to track everything, we sometimes forget to go back to the basics of our primal instincts.

You don’t have to live near forests, mountains or the vast expanses of water to get your nature fix. All you need is a sense of wonder and awe.

Primal: Essential; Fundamental; First in importance

Prosperity: Flourishing; Thriving

Art De Vany:

“Modern life leaves our minds restless and under-utilized because we are confined, inactive, and comfortable. We cannot be satisfied with more and more, because we are evolved for another lifeway in which material goods do not matter. The result is that we are deeply unsatisfied with modern life and don’t know why.” – The New Evolution Diet

Carl Sagan:

“For all its material advantages, the sedentary life has left us edgy, unfulfilled.” – Pale Blue Dot

Desmond Morris:

“The city is not a concrete jungle, it is a human zoo.” – The Human Zoo

The story goes that an American once sent a message to NASA: “Thank you Apollo 8. You saved 1968.”

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