Why We Need the Wild Places

[Patrick @ www.safarichatter.com]

Why is it every so often we long to be spending time 'away from it all'?

Sure the pressures of modern life can be exacting on our system, but a good weekend usually sorts that stress out. To really get away from it all because something in you says "OK, time for a break" means more than getting away from the daily stresses of our lives - its a re-connecting to that part of ourselves which needs recharging. In a space that supports it, nature.

Whether that be a holiday on some tropical Island, a summer on the lake or a two week safari to Africa, we look forward to such an 'escape'. And rightly so, our bodies need recharging or reconnecting to our sense of self and peace. Being in nature enhances this process and retunes our system in order to face the challenges that will meet us once back in the office.

Nature acts as a guardian for all our needs: physical, emotional and spiritual. And by allowing ourselves more time in nature, we can actually enhance our overall happiness and sense of place. Parks in the city can usually be magnets in the summer, with people seen to be enjoying all sorts of leisure activities. Small havens from the trappings of modern life. Going on a holiday into Nature would do that and more. Feeling the breeze of summer on your face is such a simple act, yet can give such a sense of release and connection that it is not uncommon to pass someone sitting on a bench ANYWHERE with eyes closed feeling the elements pouring onto their face, and bringing a smile to it.

Listening to the early evening sounds of animals in Africa whilst on safari seems to rekindle some ancient connection we share with the continent or nature, that the memory sits in our minds long after our trip acting as a 'happy thought' for times when we need consoling. Or hearing the wind moving through the pine trees on a mountain in Europe, conjures up an almost mystical presence and connection with the Earth, that for that moment all existence comes into a single thought of oneness. 

Such an attunement to nature is something we all in some way or another have felt or seek out in times of stress and hardship. It's not hard to see why many holy places were usually sited in remote areas of nature or on mountain tops. It serves our deepest needs.

The greater we can seek to harmonize ourselves with nature when in nature, the more we experience a greater connection to nature, and to ourselves. All the while absorbing the calm and recharging our batteries. Nature is both our preserver and destroyer, and is there to look after our interests so long as we can learn to look after its interests, and preserve the wild places.

For more insights please visit my site at www.safarichatter.com

photo: Volodymyr Martyniuk