Now, More Than Ever, We

Something Else Was Different When We Were Young: Our Parents Were Outdoors. I’m Not Saying They Were Joining Health Clubs And Things Of That Sort, But They Were Out Of The House, Out On The Porch, Talking To Neighbors. As Far As Physical Fitness Goes, Today’s Kids Are The Sorriest Generation In The History Of The United States. Their Parents May Be Out Jogging, But The Kids Just Aren’t Outside.

As One Scientist Puts It, We Can Now Assume That Just As Children Need Good Nutrition And Adequate Sleep, They May Very Well Need Contact With Nature.

Nature Is Imperfectly Perfect, Filled With Loose Parts And Possibilities, With Mud And Dust, Nettles And Sky, Transcendent Hands-on Moments And Skinned Knees.

In Our Bones We Need The Natural Curves Of Hills, The Scent Of Chaparral, The Whisper Of Pines, The Possibility Of Wildness.

We Are Telling Our Kids That Nature Is In The Past And It Probably Doesn't Count Anymore, The Future Is In Electronics, The Boogeyman Is In The Woods, And Playing Outdoors Is Probably Illicit And Possibly Illegal.