Book 2 Post 2 - Losing Eden

 Book 2 Post 2 - Losing Eden

The book I chose for book 2 was Lucy Jones’ Losing Eden. As I mentioned in my previous blog post, I chose this book for more perspective on my enjoyment of the outdoors in my time as a boy scout. I don’t think I got the exact answers I was looking for from the book, but I learned things I never imagined that I would, and overall it was a pleasurable experience. The book touched on many topics, each chapter talking about a different aspect of nature, the future of nature in relation to humans, and the ways that nature can be healing and beneficial to humans. In many ways the lack of childhood involvement with nature in recent times has been linked to many problems plaguing the current generation, and the book serves as a great reminder that the world is not composed of people and nature as separate entities, but rather as intertwined and related in many fundamental ways. One fact in the book that stood out to me was the eventual phasing out of many natural terms in the Oxford Children’s Dictionary in favor of terms like “cut and paste” and “broadband” which would be used in the more artificial man-made space. Words like “ox,” “acorn,” “mussel,” “panther,” and other natural terms were eventually deleted from this dictionary. As someone who had learned much more extensively about the latter set of terms growing up, the phenomenon broke my heart just a little bit, and I’m glad that the resolution of the issue was that there was strong protest from writers against that action. 

One fact, though near the beginning of the book, that surprised me heavily was that there are microbes in dirt that allow for greater release of serotonin. When I was hiking in middle school, I never could have imagined that there would be a physical response to things in nature. I always thought that any elevated feeling while in the outdoors would come from something more spiritual than physical. But as I read further into the book, I found many other examples of this. For example, the smell of the ground outside right after it rains, and the act of taking care of plants like moss could physically have a positive effect on the people who experience those things. I’m sure there are plenty of spiritual and mental aspects to a person’s experience with the outdoors, but the physical relation between nature and the happiness of a person makes much more sense to me with these facts.

Another thing I particularly enjoyed about the book was that there was no large barrier or gatekeeping associated with the enjoyment of nature. Indeed, oftentimes we see an image of a veteran climber at the top of a snowy mountain, or there are romantic views of taking a 45-day trip hiking through the Appalachians. But Jones never implied that these are things you need to do to experience nature; simply going outside to a park, practicing gardening, or other small day-long excursions to nature can fill that need for contact with nature. Daily practices and mindfulness with regards to the appropriation of nature, like recycling or being food-conscious, all play into such a lifestyle as well. When people are more informed about their lives and mental health with relation to nature, they can unlock a new level of happiness without committing a large deal of time or attention at all. Rather, a connection with nature can be found simply by doing small things daily. I really enjoyed this book for the messages and the ways in which it helped me understand myself better.