Lack of Nature Connection Makes You Like a Pirate!

Quick! Think of everything you know about Pirates….

They had knives and cutlasses. They robbed ships. They were outlaws and bandits. They flew the Jolly Roger flag.  They had peg legs. They walked the plank….. anything else?

They had scurvy. Bad.

Scurvy caused their teeth to fall out, gums to bleed, limbs to swell up and become numb and eventually resulted in painful death. And it was all a result of their very limited diet that included long spells without fresh fruits and vegetables.

Pirates, and even other legitimate sailors of the past, had no clue there was a link between their diet and the symptoms they were experiencing. Nobody had worked out that Vitamin C was an essential nutrient to the human body. It was not until the 1930’s that this link was scientifically proven and scurvy is a rare disease in modern times.

But what do Scurvy Pirates have to do with nature connection?

Because many modern people are suffering from a similar deficiency which also causes negative symptoms and yet few people are drawing the link between these symptoms and the cause.

Richard Louv, author of the pioneering books Last Child in the Woods and The Nature Principle coined the phrase ‘Nature Deficit Disorder’. This is not a clinical diagnosis but it is clearly shown that many of our societal and personal problems stem from being out of touch with the natural world.

Symptoms of Nature Deficit Disorder (NDD) can include irritability, stress, aggression, lack of focus, depression, moodiness, obesity, ADD, breakdown of community and so on.

Quite simply many people no longer enjoy a conscious relationship with the natural world and are suffering the consequences.

And yet just like scurvy, there is a simple remedy – Nature Connection.

Nature is a necessary nutrient.

Nature Connection is as essential to the human body, psyche and spirit as Vitamin C.

Louv refers to it as Vitamin N.

Nature Connection is as effective at curing Nature Deficit as Lime juice was to Scurvy. Click To Tweet

Connecting with nature is as simple as making time for a daily walk in the woods, planting a garden, listening to the birds, watching the clouds.

It’s as simple as giving thanks for the air we breathe, the water we drink and the food we eat and doing our best to make sure all of these vital substances stay clean and pure.

The more we consciously connect with and respect the natural world, the more we find greater harmony with our own true nature.

My desire is that there will come a day when we look back and see the health of our people and planet was remedied and restored by something so simple. We will see how humanity transformed from being like pirates into flourishing, happy, whole individuals with communities and cultures living on a healthy planet in harmony with nature.

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Do you know someone who might be suffering like a pirate?  Make sure you share this post with them and encourage them to sign up for the Free Nature Connection E-Course to receive 7 days of easy nature-connection activities to nurture health and well-being.