Don't Read This Blog

Okay, read it if you must, but it won't do your body any good. I came across an article today that discussed a topic very near and dear to my heart. It was about the fact that the people alive today are the first group in human history who elect to spend more time staring at screens than experiencing the things they choose to display on them.

We're lazy, and its upsetting. I love the outdoors and crave sunlight but even I have a mild internet addiction. The fact of the matter is, we don't get out as much as we used to, humanity, and we're suffering the consequences. ADHD, depression, mesothelioma (from asbestos), we're not the species we used to be. I for one can attest that the less active I am over a given stretch of time, the more sluggish I get. Some of that might even go into explaining why people are so much more apathetic than they used to be. We sit by and watch our government erode our country's reputation (I'm Canadian) because we are too depressed and lazy to do anything about it.

Sometimes I think I would love to run a business because of all the innovative experiments I could try to increase productivity (the psychologist in me is alive and well). I would only hire people who lived within walking or biking distance and offer incentives to commute using only human power. I would have mandatory staff days on local trails. I would prop the door open and force people to breath fresh air instead of stale recirculated stuff we are all so accustomed to. Then I would track productivity and see how much my interventions made a difference. I suspect the changes would be more dramatic than you think.

I have never met anyone who isn't happier after a fun day outside. Even the most nature-phobic people I know are sudden converts when I force them into a canoe or onto a trail. Once I even persuaded my friends to use one of the 2 days we spent visiting Montreal to wander around aimlessly with me instead of going shopping. The result? The best day of the trip by far. The effects soon fade and people fall back into old habits, but the love of being outside is in there, I've seen it in everyone.

Now this is the part of the post when I usually try to encourage people to get up, get out, and have fun but today I'll approach it a little differently. You are going to do whatever you want, regardless of what I say in an inconsequential blog post. Just consider that sometimes what you think you want isn't what will make you happy. Sitting inside all day may be comfortable and running around in the rain might seem like a chore, but it's hard to predict how much a charge of endorphins can help brighten your day.

Cheers,

Steve

The article that me thinking: http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/03/29/nature-deficit-disorder/

Photo credit: http://www.wallpaper-valley.com/nature.php