When did we stop being connected to nature?
Posted on 12th January 2024 at 14:01
You may not have given this much thought, in fact many people don’t even realise that we have stepped away from nature, as it has been a long slow move.
Welcome to the New Year and the first blog for Nature Gives – You Enjoy. We will be posting twice monthly, on the 2nd Friday with an article on nature and connecting to it, and then on the 4th Friday with an article on how to do more for nature.
Hunter Gatherers vs. Farmers
When we were hunter gatherers, we were very connected to nature. We lived in nature, got all that we needed from nature, we were at the mercy of nature. We got up with the sun and slept when it grew dark, and we ate what we could find, with no control over any aspect of our lives.
When we started becoming farmers, our connection with nature changed as we discovered we could control aspects of nature.
Over the many years that followed we learned how to control more and more of nature, and this gave us a false sense of our place in the world. We created candles and this allowed us to lengthen our days' light, at least indoors, we raised animals and crops which gave us a steady supply of food.
The big change came in the industrial revolution, as the invention of electricity allowed us even more control over when we got up and when we went to bed. This meant we could eat later and do more in the house and in our barns.
Then came the big migration of farm workers to the towns and cities to work in the mills and factories, away from growing our own food to buying it from markets. Working in the big buildings separated us from the connections with the natural world.
Since the end of the Second World War, life has moved on at a hectic pace, our world is changing and evolving quicker than we are able to. Our minds still work at a basic level, the same as those of our caveman ancestors. We still look for danger, food, drink, shelter, companionship, but unfortunately our modern world is so different and we as a species are struggling to cope.

For example when we are stressed by something, we still produce the same hormones in our brain that tell us we need to fight or flight the danger.
What our clever brain cannot do is tell the difference between a sabertoothed tiger about to pounce, and a rough day at the office or a bad journey to work!
We live far more sedentary lives now than we did, and that is adding to the problem. It’s a bit like having a high-end sports car designed for the race track, needing special fuel and care, and then putting cheap fuel in it, and trying to pull a heavy trailer with it. It won't work.
This may sound all full of gloom and doom, but we can make changes in our lives and reconnect to the world we are designed for.
There are many ways in which we can connect to nature, and the benefits to our mental and physical health are significant. Not all involve going for walks in nature, some can be done from the comfort of your home.
In the articles that follow in our blog, we will share lots of ways for you to connect with nature. Simple things like using more natural products can make a good start. Check out our website and see what we have for sale.
In addition, join me on the 26th of January for our first session on "what I can do in my garden, however small, to help nature and help me connect to it?"
So if you are struggling with life, or not waking up happy and full of joy and get up and go, then why not contact us at hello@naturegives.co.uk and start improving your life and discover what real happiness can be like.
Bye for now, start connecting!
Tagged as: Connecting with Nature
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