I love the great outdoors. Spending my formative years in northern New England contributed to that liking, I’m sure. Nevertheless, in the digital age, it is very easy to retreat into our binary cove of constant entertainment and the ideal book, movie or music for every mood and forget that the world is much larger than our tiny sliver of it. When we do, we expose ourselves to natural deficit disorder.
Not coincidentally, people who spend time outdoors tend to be healthier, with reduced risk of heart disease and other life-shortening maladies. The point here is to embrace nature. That doesn’t mean that you have to plant a neighborhood garden or volunteer at the local wildlife refuge. It does mean that you need to combine regular exercise with the need to get out of the house. My top recommendation is to take up cycling.
Why exertion of the two-wheeled variety? Well, if you’ve been following this top 7 list from the beginning, you know that I encourage everyone to drive less. There are many benefits to reducing time in your automobile, with reductions in pollution topping the list, but even if I succeed in guiding you toward this change, you still need locomotion, movement from place to place. Cycling can be the answer.
Above and beyond the ways in which hopping a bicycle can help, pedal power can ward off natural deficit disorder because it forces you to perceive your surroundings differently, without the buffer of air conditioning and satellite radio. What’s more, you don’t have to be Lance Armstrong to derive these benefits. You can take baby steps, so to speak, at first, until you become accustomed to the difference.
Technology only will help us ward off the effects of global warming to a certain extent. The rest is up to us. If you are out of touch with nature, it will be more difficult for you to notice as the climate changes. Cycling can help you move about town and reconnect at the same time – and keep the symptoms of natural deficit disorder to a minimum before they put you in the hospital.
Sustainable Justice For All!
Corbett Kroehler
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