Biophelia and freedom

Since becoming aware of OA Wilson’s biophilia hypothesis, a theory that holds that humans are not only drawn to natural spaces, but that they benefit from time communing with nature, I have sometimes wondered where exactly the power in these spaces lies. 

Certainly, some of this is in the inherent power and wonder and beauty of such spaces. To see something beautiful or novel is always an awesome thing and this is true if the beauty or novelty is part of the natural world or part of the world constructed by humans.

Additionally, however, some of the power of natural spaces can be found in the fact that nature offers a respite from the constructed world; a respite from the stories that make up so much of human society. 

The natural world is primary. The natural world and the behaviors of the living things found within it are concerned with basic needs: food, shelter, reproduction, etc. This just isn’t true for the vast majority of the world in which we live. The concerns are trivial, the behaviors are inconsequential and so much is based on the whims and fancy of humans. 

On the river there are a myriad of different ways that humans have affected the landscape, but what is happening out there is free from all of the mess that exists beyond its banks. Yes, time in natural spaces can provide manna for a soul or mind or body, but perhaps the break from all of the mess is where the real power lies. 

The Mysterium Tremendum Awaits