Last year I got overwhelmed by the feeling, that although it seems like I get more knowledgeable (with my university degree, watching all the news, following social media etc). I actually go astray from my natural state of being. I became aware of a feeling of disconnection with nature. And that’s when it hit me: I was born a conscious human but had changed into an automaton. Because yes, I know a lot about economics, business administration, political -, social -, and legal systems, but what do I actually know? These are all subjects we have invented ourselves as mankind. Furthermore it is all virtual reality, not real at all. It has become our day-to-day life and thus we believe it is real. We give it names like education, economics, countries, but actually it is non-existent. Hard to believe maybe, but it is. It is as virtual as all the games or social media my kids engage in these days….I’m no better than my kids, actually I’m even worse, because I teach them that my life is ‘real’. And in fact I’m just an automaton, going through life unconnected, unappreciated, numbed. (Check out this confrontational video: ‘the lie we live‘).
Disconnection with nature
When I walk in nature I don’t recognize which type of bird is singing its tune. And I cannot determine herbs or plants, let alone know its healing and caring abilities, what can and cannot be eaten. I calm myself with the idea I still do know what a broccoli, a zucchini or egg-plant looks like. But I must confess I don’t always know if it comes from under the ground, grows on trees or bushes. I recognize vegetables like parsnip (Dutch: pastinaak) in stores, but I have no clue how to prepare it in a dish. And lately I read articles that children these days don’t distinct a broccoli from a cauliflower anymore. And I have to admit with all these convenience products in our stores and our homes, that is not strange at all. As we are getting more and more disconnected with nature, that is exactly what we pass onto our children. We can laugh at them and blame them for being dumb, ignorant or self-centered. But they are just a reflection in the mirror from ourselves. So, is this the path I want to walk?