Do you ever feel like you need to just get out of town? From time to time I think most of us do. Whether you prefer to take a hike in the woods, go kayaking, or just take in a scenic vista; there is something inherently satisfying about being in nature.
During the first half of the nineteenth century in Europe poets, painters, and composers inspired by the lure of nature began a cultural movement we now refer to as Romanticism. And although we now live in Postmodern times the desire to get “back to nature” remains with us.
Although most of us find experiencing the beauty of nature satisfying in and of itself, recent research indicates that it also contributes to our overall well-being. An interesting article in The Huffington Post entitled, Experiences Of Art, Nature And Spirituality May Help Prevent Disease, Study Finds, suggests that our desire to experience nature holds value for us beyond simply escaping the hustle and bustle of city life.
What do you think?
I absolutely agree with this. Dealing with an autoimmune disease myself, a breath of fresh air and disconnecting from the craziness of everyday life helps my brain renew and relax.
I believe that everyone needs a getaway at some point in their life, I also believes that it is a very pleasant thing to do to help with stress and every day problems. It is sad to say that not everyone has the means to take trips and enjoy nature.
Whenever I am feeling stressed or just need to get away, I always go straight to the ocean. Something about breathing in the salty air and staring off into that place where the sky meets the ocean is soul relieving to me. After spending a day in the sun next to the sea, I always feel recharged so to speak. It is my oasis from life.
The article by the Huffington Post says that experiencing awe is a great way to curb inflammation in the body, so it is important to integrate things such as walks in the park and such in our daily routine. As with most things, wouldn’t people eventually grow tired of taking a walk at their local park? Maybe the reason why we don’t reconnect with nature as much is because we get used to seeing the same scenery over and over and we require spontaneity to keep that feeling of awe, which requires a lot of time and energy.
It makes sense. Even before cities and industrialization, our primilative people were astounded by nature and even made gods to some aspects of it.
I believe this is dead on about the awe experience, when a person can go back and experience in their mind with what they have seen, this can have a person wanting more. The one thing about life I feel is happiness can lift up people are affect them in a way they may not know and the people around them. When people are happy it give less time for worries about stressful situations. In today’s time more people have less time to experience the awe I feel because of money, and an overdrive of providing for family. It is very important to get out and do thing that expands the mind while having fun, however; American are too afraid of living on the edge.
Lea Crawford
2/17/15
I really like this article and find that it touches base with the thinking of meditation. The forms talked about in this paper are also forms of meditation which have several medical benefits. Just the art of breathing or looking a sunset or hearing the water crash against the shore lowers your heart rate and blood pressure. I take diabetes classes every week and one of the classes we have is all about meditation and the effects it has on lower your nervous system and has consequential affects on blood sugar. So, I’ll just take a deep breathe.
Good point! Contrary to what you said I still feel that at times people are getting further and further away from enjoying the great outdoors. There are so many beautiful sites that has been created for us and I would like to see people get back outside instead of on their couches. People get out to go out of town to take a break from the city life, but I don’t know if I would say they leave and go out and enjoy the satisfaction of the outdoors as much as I hoped people would.
I feel as if everyone’s definition of getting “away” s different. Some find pleasure and peace in going on nature walks, visiting museums, just simply experiencing all the World has to offer. As time went on and technology increased, it is pretty sad that people find comfort going on social media, posting their sad, happy, even angry thoughts, and releasing all their built up emotions over a keyboard. I wish we lived in a time like Romanticism, this world would be a much more natural and peaceful place.
Having been diagnosed with major depression disorder at a young age, and having been on several medications that do more harm than good, I can say personally that enjoying the arts and nature has a much higher effect on the mind than anything else. I have gone from being on 4 medications to none within the last few months and sometimes I still get into bad states, however if I listen to some good music or get out and walk somewhere, I feel much better. I recently went to the Museum of Fine Arts (for the project for the Western Civ class) and I thoroughly enjoyed myself. I had a horrible night afterwords, missed the last bus of the night and my boyfriend almost killed us by cleaning up after our cat with bleach (but that’s another story entirely!) But, because I had such an amazing time at the museum, I still enjoyed my night. I know if I hadn’t had an experience like that I would have been upset all night.
Romanticism is nature.as one enters the vast outdoors into the deep wilderness of sights and sounds and companionship of fresh, pure air one becomes drunk with the novelty of nature. Just looking quietly at all the greenery growing and giving us the connectedness, which we can never get anywhere else, is overwhelming. The universe itself is healing and hopeful and inspiring to the artist and the writer and writing is best done in quiet inspiring, serene surroundings, so is art, the artist flourishes as he perch amidst the wide open, space, flooding with fresh, pure air,healing and helpful. So if only if we can, for just, only a fraction of our busy bee daily life we can get with nature and listen to the trees grow,also all the other healthy things going on serenely, what is not romantic and what is not healing for the human soul?