Nature Deficit Disorder By Richard Louv

Growing up in the world today is a lot different from how your parents, grandparents, and their parents grew up in relation to nature. Today, we are more concerned and aware of the global threats to the environment, and there is a large push to focus on preserving the environment and its resources. However, despite our recent efforts to become more educated about the environment, we have lost one of the most important aspects of nature: our connection. Kids are growing up today with less physical contact with nature. This lack of intimacy with nature has led to some of the most disturbing childhood trends, such as rises in obesity, attention disorders and depression. Society today is teaching young people to not only ignore nature, but to

Many ideas I had not contemplated, but I found very relatable. In the book, Richard Louv uses the phrase "nature deficit disorder" to explain the lack of nature in today's wired generation. When I first saw this phrase, I had never heard of it before. I had never really taken the time to think about today's generation of children and how they are growing up with a different perspective on nature than I had. Throughout the book, I realized that Louv's ideas behind the phrase were relevant and important. Growing up in a small rural town in Vermont, I would play outside for at least a few hours every day. I loved being outside and exploring in the fields and woods around my house. When I think back, I was born into the technology boom era. Everyone was getting a cellular phone and a laptop and an iPad. It became more important for people to focus on building their online profiles than themselves. I noticed a shift from outside play to indoor play which consisted of hours on end sitting behind a computer screen. In today's society, this shift from nature to electronics has become so significant that when I go home, I see people watching TV or playing videos on their phones more than I see kids playing basketball at the park. It is sad to think that children are losing out on so many valuable lessons that I learned from playing outside. I recognize the importance of nature for my well-being

There isn’t a big enough push for educating our future generation about the environment and how we interact with it. Sure there are a few environment classes at a public school, or you go on a field trip to the local blueberry farm and you pick blueberries with your classmates, but, this isn’t far enough. What we need is a pairing of community organizations and schools. We need to be able to get outside of the classroom for more than just a few hours. We need to get out in the world and build real –world experiences that are hands-on with the planet that we live on. How else are we ever going to adapt and preserve the world if we aren’t even teaching our youth about where their steak came from that they ate for dinner last night. After reading this book, I believe that I am more passionate about the need for building and strengthening a relationship with nature. I was able to reflect on my own childhood experiences in nature and see the significant impact they had in my own life. It pains me to think that there isn’t as strong of a connection to nature in today's youth and that people don’t understand the world outside their window. They don’t miss what they have never known. But to those who are curious and eager to grow and develop, those who see the benefits from nature, those are the ones you will find