Regaining our connection to nature and each other
Lately, I’ve been reflecting on things we’ve lost, as a society and as individuals. I had no idea what to write for this blog but, as often happens, threads began to weave together from a number of experiences I’ve had recently, books I’ve read, and ideas that have drifted through my head (quite often, my ideas are things like ‘go and eat a biscuit’, so it’s good to have more intellectual ones from time to time!). The things I want to talk about today are community and connection to nature – both of these link, ultimately, to our connection to something wider than ourselves.
I was sitting in a session at work recently learning about a Māori worldview, and the presenter was talking about the unique relationship between Māori and te taiao – the natural world. In a Māori worldview, people have an important, reciprocal relationship with the natural world, one where we nurture and protect each other. It made me think, why are the rest of us so disconnected from the natural environment now? And have we always been?
Of course we haven’t. We only need to think back a little. Humans have moved further and further away from the beauty and bounty of nature, and closer and closer to endorphin-inducing TV screens and smartphones, email-heavy, office-based work, and clustered, concrete-laden cities. Our connection to the natural has weakened. We’ve forgotten that we are nature people. For each one of us, our ancestors would have roamed, harvested, tilled, smelled, wandered and existed closely with the land, sea and waterways. And that closeness lies within each of us. I am reminded of the beautiful knots of the ancient Celts – the dara knot (dara meaning ‘doire’ or wood in Gaelic) represents the strength, power and wisdom of an oak tree, a sacred part of the Celtic belief system. This connection is deep in our bones, we only need to awaken it.
Another aspect of loss is that of community. We are a cooperative species, we evolved together and, ultimately, we are wired for connection. The individualistic and materialistic tendencies have become so mainstream that we are often so focused on our individual achievements or on accumulating more possessions, rather than tapping into real human connection with the person next door, the community group or a local volunteering organisation. As much as I want to sneak into my house and hide when I hear my neighbour approaching, I always feel good when I stop and chat!
Over the past year or so, I have been listening to Brené Brown’s podcast Unlocking Us. She talks about human connection in the context of her work, but hearing the beautiful, true, deep conversations with her guests reminds me each and every time of the goodness of human connection. A smile from a stranger as we cross paths on a summer evening is enough to produce a little burst of light and warmth within me. We need this. We need it so much right now on this planet we call home.
Many of these blogs end with little resolutions, things I want to change or tap into in my life. So I’m leaning into nature, I’m building my relationship with the sea and the birds and the trees. I’m tuning into the changing colours and aromas, the way the wind swirls south and west, the diving of the tui as dusk settles in a haze over the day. I’m leaning into true human connection. I’m sharing a smile at the bus driver, having lunch with a colleague, stopping to talk to my neighbour. Because this planet and each other, it’s all we have.