Mother Earth.... Who?

It was good to be home again. I hadn’t seen my home or my parents for almost four years. Like I had never left, I was jolted awake my first morning back by my dad’s relentless, out of tune, attempt at singing. His bellowing voice was beyond welcoming, actually it was downright torture. Springing from bed like a drunkin ninja and stumbling out of my old room I staggered past my pops and yelped, “Going for a run, hour or so!,” Hopping desperately toward the back door, I slid on my new trail running shoes and was off. Outside, oh I love it, I feel light and free. I’m further awakened with every breath of fresh air as I warmed my legs up with a steady cadence. I knew just where to go, the canyon. Three falls canyon is what most Hurricane, Utah residents call it, Gould’s Wash for those over seventy, but for me and my motley crew, we simply called it the canyon. Picking up my pace I closed in on my re-union with the memory bearing gouge in Earths Crust, ah the canyon. As I reached the cul-de-sac where the synthetic, man-made world ended and the wondrous world of nature began, I halt. No, my legs never stop. Like the drumming bunny commercial, they keep going and going, but stop? Where’s the trail? What used to be a bustling dirt highway for pumping legs of kids, teens, and rarely seen adults, was now an overgrown, snake-like cut in the overgrowth. It was obvious that the trail was either forgotten by it’s youthful travelers, or most the kids had disappeared. Just then a song echoed between my ears. It was Peter, Paul, and Mary singing, “Where have all the children gone?….” With my arms spread wide, face skyward, I sang along while swaying back and forth jostling the trees alive while I let it go, “Where have all the children gone?”









The lack of nature’s gifts and powers being explored, learned, loved, used, and respected, by our youth has become a rising epidemic. Upcoming generations are going to fill the seats of our current leaders, and what they learn today, in their youth, will echo as the deciding factors in which today’s youth runs our nation in our near future. Often, in our current times, elders lack the attitude of impressing the importance of our natural world upon the youth; Furthermore, the youth don’t receive enough encouragement to go outside, and experience nature’s humbling gifts while playing. However, I feel as though society can win this crucial, but overlooked, battle with and for our youths future and our own. One household at a time we can instill the awareness, joy, and benefits of nature into our youth’s minds. Commonly it is thought our youth are safer indoors than out; however, typically and directly related to the physical inactivity of this idea of it being safer for our youth inside, are life-threatening health risks. Health risks such as diabetes, heart issues, obesity, and a multitude of other life-taking threats are increasing in our youth, many of which have not been found in individuals at such young ages untill the last decade or so. Sure, the food industry can be part to blame, but that along with an inactive lifestyles of today, creates a devastating recipe for the young lives at hand. Furthermore, some might argue that playing in the outdoors has many associated health hazards, but trading a broken arm or collar bone for heart disease is an easy trade to make. Not only is health an issue, but spending an inordinate amount of time inside creates a dependency for our children, they have little need to adapt, or develop self-reliance that the outdoor playground can deliver. Nature offers a playground that fosters physical exercise, mental awareness, and the growth of imagination and creativity. Personally, the scales tip in favor of the youth playing outside, rather than sitting inside. Indoor activities temper detachment from social settings as well. Directly linked to the increase of indoors being used for play, is the advancement and rapid growth of the gaming industry. The numbers are staggering and continue climbing upwards in mind-boggling fashion. From the number of households with gaming systems to the number of hours played on average per child, it’s an obvious problem. It’s one thing to have a gaming system, I’m not condemning them, but to not put restrictions on the youth and allow them to have free reign of how much time they blast away with a gaming paddle in their hands is not the proper way to foster a brighter future for the youth, ourselves and the planet we call home, planet Earth. A large portion of these games that our youth are glued to are said to be entertaining. Entertaining? A likely story, many games promote unimaginable scenarios, typically be allowed to even watch on a movie. Hours can be spent by youth sitting in front of a television while relying on an electronic current that’s running through wires and circuit boards contained within a plastic box letting it be creative for them. This is a serious problem for these indoor-playing youth, eliminating imagination, real-world problem solving, independent thought, and most of all, their development of critical thinking skills at an early age. Moreover, this brain consuming entertainment steals the opportunity of experiencing nature from youth who innocently fall victim to these mind binding traps of technology, and builds a barrier between the kids and nature. They grow up lacking the priceless days of wind, tree-climbing, hiking, and the infinite adventures like climbing Everest or fighting evil villains on top of sky-scrapers, inches away from falling to the concrete streets, which was conjured up by their free-minds.






The answer? Encourage and participate actively in developing respect and awareness of what nature has to offer. Act as a guide for the youth, and when they’re ready, cut them loose. Take them on hikes, to the lake, even better, take them camping. Showing not only what they can get personally from the necessary world of nature, but also that nature is to be respected. We are nature, just merely another animal meandering around on earth, and to be honest, the human species is has been getting and increasingly is getting out of control. We must pass the imperative knowledge of where we live, planet Earth, and the fact that we share this spinning rock with countless other species. If our youth forgetscausing the downfall of other parts of Earths delicate house of cards, then it will be the end of our existence.