FIND YOUR NATURE: Passage of Time | Language of Outdoors | Nature Challenge
BGCL Newsletter
Hi there, it’s Hillarie! This is your favorite weekly newsletter about nature and the ideas it inspires. Keep reading for bold ideas and fresh perspectives on a life lived with nature.
Re: Nature & the Passage of Time
Dear friends,
On New Year’s Day, I stepped outside and paused for a moment to take in the freshness of the moment. I thought, ‘new year, new me’ and willed myself to feel the power of new beginnings.
I looked out to the water and tried my best to recall the hopes I had for myself one year ago. Taking in the morning sun, low in the sky, it occurred to me that the day was simply a demarcation of our time that had no meaning to nature. Nonetheless, tracking the passage of time is important, and nature has plenty to teach us about how we can do that.
Nature tracks the passage of time differently than humans do.
As humans, we have the capacity to reflect on the past and project ideas into the future. We often think of time in terms of gains, losses, failures, and accomplishments. It is a uniquely human ability, but that doesn’t mean it is the only way to think about time.
Nature tracks the passage of time through more forgiving and graceful means. For example:
When the weather cools down, salmon know to swim from the ocean to freshwater to lay eggs.
After 7-10 years of gathering energy, the corpse flower finally blooms.
Regular cycles of death and rebirth that occur over our days, weeks, and years.
Another lesson from nature about time: nature does not resist the passage of time like we tend to do. It trusts in what is coming next and freely commits to that future, knowing it may be difficult to adapt. We can learn a lot from this way of being.
“The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago. The second best time is now.” – Chinese Proverb
This year, I am allowing nature to teach me about how to be steady and consistent with my time. As this proverb shows, we cannot dwell on the past when we have the opportunity to make progress today. So, here’s to heading into another year with more appreciation and respect for nature.
Stay curious, be kind, and take care,
Hillarie
P.S. This year I’m deciding to double down on writing about nature because it has changed my life. There are so many lessons we can draw from nature, and I am excited to learn more with you.
How We Speak About the Outdoors and What It Says About Us
When was the last time you scaled a mountain, dominated a trail, or tamed the plants growing in your yard? These are common ways of talking about the outdoors, but these words can create dissonance between us and the natural world.
The way we speak about the outdoors reflects our priorities and relationship with everything around us. Language has the power to include and exclude, to connect or divide. Oftentimes, our words create a hierarchy with humans always being the most important. People talk about nature as something to be harnessed and overcome, rather than something to be respected and appreciated.
We use language to reinforce or limit ideas about the how land is viewed and used.
This is called linguistic imperialism. It is a tactic used to dissolve the Indigenous languages and practices that connect people with the natural world. It is the methodical erasure of wisdom, spiritual connection, and practical knowledge that Indigenous people accumulated over thousands of years.
Nature, which was once seen as sacred on something that cannot be owned, has been replaced by concepts of ‘wilderness’, ‘land conservation’, and even land ownership. While these words may seem harmless, they imply a separation between humans and everything else that is connected. They also invalidate civilizations that live peacefully in nature because it assumes that exploitation of the land is normal.
Our language objectifies nature and distances us for the natural world.
Viewing nature as an object has helped us understand how it functions. We can measure, test, and experiment when characteristics are defined. However, using language to define nature assumes we can observe or know all there is to know about nature. It removes the mystery and uncertainty that is very much a part of the natural world.
By boiling nature down to inanimate objects, we understand it to be here for our use and exploitation. When we talk about nature as an object, we value nature the same as (or less than) we value objects of our own creation: clothing, refrigerators, toys, cars, etc. Our distorted view of the earth as less powerful than it actually is allows us to carelessly rob it of its natural resources to further enable our own comfort.
This way of thinking perpetuates behaviors that destroy the earth and lead to climate change.
Shea Hogarth captured this perfectly with this comparison: the earth is 4.6 billion years old. Let's scale that to 46 years. Humans have been here for 4 hours. Our industrial revolution began 1 minute ago. In that time, we have destroyed more than 50% of the world's forests.
So, can we change the language and do right by this earth?
Yes, we can. We have the power to reshape the way we think about the earth, thereby affecting our relationship with nature and ourselves. Here are a few ways we can do that:
Be self-critical when talking about how you interact with nature. Use words that respect nature and honor nature. For example, yesterday I caught myself saying, ‘Dumb birds.’ about a pair of starlings, as if I knew more about their survival. Instead of making a judgement (ie dumb), I am setting an intention to be more curious (ie I wonder why they do that?).
Seek out Indigenous wisdom about the natural world, not just science. (Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer is a great place to start.)
Embrace the mystery of nature rather than simply trying to define it. It is human nature to try and make sense of the world, but too much of that impairs our ability to wonder and appreciate the unknown.
If we can change the way we talk about the natural world, then we can certainly change the way we treat it. What are some ways language has shaped your understanding of nature?
Be in Nature: 10-Day Challenge
I am a proponent of nature because I have come to understand the benefits from seeing myself as one with nature. It has given me a greater appreciation of the earth and helped me understand my purpose in life in a new way.
Since I am not much for resolutions, I wanted to offer an alternative way for us to experience nature that is low-pressure and low-commitment.
I challenge you to simply be in nature for 10 days and see what happens!
All you need is a slice of nature, and maybe something to take notes with. Make the goal to be in nature for no more than 5 minutes. Then reflect on these questions:
What did you notice?
How did it make you feel?
What are you curious about now?
I am going to be participating in this challenge and sharing my thoughts on Instagram daily, starting Jan. 3rd. Join me to see what I am learning and share your own experience in nature.
Very compelling ideas about nature.