For eons, people have been struggling with the concept of time. It permeates our language and influences our way of seeing life. After all, time is money, time is of the essence and time flies, right!
And so, we struggle to control time: we measure time, we stretch time, we waste time, we kill time, and still we never have enough time! It is not surprising that we feel this way. The pace of life today is much more hectic than it was just a generation ago.
In the struggle to control time, we have become so out of touch with the natural world that it doesn’t seem to matter whether it is day or night, hot or cold, summer or winter. We control the climate at home, in the car and in the office. We create artificial environments to lengthen our days. We eat food with little regard for its season or source.
These artificial life choices further separate us from the rhythms and cycles of nature, desensitizing us to nature’s seasonal indicators of the passage of time. When we stare at the cold screens of our electronic devices, we disconnect from the natural world around us and forget our origins.
In the words of author Michael McCarthy, “We need to be constantly reminded that we’ve only been computer operators for a single generation… but we were farmers for 500 generations, and before that, hunter-gatherers for maybe 50,000 or more, living with the natural world as part of it.” how we evolved.
If we want inner peace, we must learn to live peacefully with the inevitable passage of time instead of trying to control it. We need to synchronize with time on all levels. The 16th-century Chinese poet Liu Wenmin put it this way:
“Being able to not be in a hurry when you are in a hurry;
Being able to not slack off when relaxed;
To be able not to be afraid
And not knowing what to do
When you are scared and lost;
This is the learning that gives us back
To our natural state and transform our lives.”
Time moves on, whether we are suffering through life or savoring it. We can, indeed we must, learn to remain still and calm in the midst of the torrent of commitments, not allowing our busy lives to rob us of the time we need to recalibrate and connect with the natural world, with ourselves, and with each other.
The simple act of spending time in nature is one of those solutions that has many healing properties. In Japan, this healing process is known as “shinrin-yoku” or forest bathing. Scientific studies confirm that spending time in nature can reduce the production of stress hormones, lower heart rate and blood pressure, elevate mood, and strengthen the immune system.
If you’ve ever had the opportunity to return to the same place season after season, you’ll remember the private pleasure of reconnecting with a special place every time you return: being aware of the height of the tide, the direction of the wind, the time of departure and sunset, and the phase of the moon. Having a place in nature to return to allows us to reconnect where we left off, like picking up an old friendship.
Sometimes we encounter the power and beauty of the natural world in an early moment: observing the grandeur of a rainbow after a storm, or seeing up close the beauty of a small creature. These are magical moments when all sense of time stops and we are caught up in the wonder of the present moment.
Connecting with nature is reconnecting with our own origins. Getting out of our man-made schedules and obligations, even if only for a few moments, to look at the clouds, smell the air, feel the breeze on our skin, helps us reconnect with the eternal nature of creation and find peace.