In early human settlements, the limitations of our worries extended mostly to the limitations of the surroundings in which we lived. We may have felt worried about an elderly relative’s health, the incoming weather, whether we had enough food to feed the family – all valid, hugely important concerns and within the scope of our capacity to empathise and emotionally cope with the problems of ‘the world’ around us.
Since then, our lives have changed immeasurably regarding what we have access to witness, yet the wiring and empathetic capacity of our human brains have not evolved so fast. We are simply not programmed to manage exposure to global sorrow, conflict, destructive weather, crime (the list goes continually on) on a 24/7 basis. It can seem relentless, and it can feel overwhelming.
It can be argued that it is important to be aware of the world that we live in. We have the tools to know and see more than ever before and that will only continue to increase. But we also need the skills to disconnect from those tools and focus on ourselves and our immediate surroundings, just as in times gone by.
The news is curated for maximum impact. It is an unending, unspooling reel of sadness and sensationalism, designed to shock and awe its audience. Constantly. Every minute. From a dozen outlets. From every part of the entire planet and even beyond.
Our antidote can be found in nature. By way of contrast, nature is designed to slow us down, to teach us patience as the earth turns and evolves at its own unhurried pace. Its beauty, its timings, its capacity for slow but certain change provides a way to walk through a moment unhurried if we stop to pay it due attention.
Whereas the newsreel is designed to shock and dent our hearts and minds, perhaps putting the screen down, narrowing the view and protecting ourselves with immersion in the natural world is where we find healing and hope instead.
