#11 The Profound Questions in the Nature Principle

In his book, The Nature Principle, journalist Richard Louv brilliantly explores the restorative powers of the natural world. It’s a great compendium of the physical and psychological benefits of being in nature. In addition to compelling research, Louv uses interesting anecdotal evidence and his own personal experiences to lay out how much healthier and happier we can be when we spend time in green places. It’s a thoughtful, tenderly written, optimistically envisioned portrait of our society today.

Last Child in the Woods

Years ago, Louv sort of exploded on the scene when he released his now bestseller Last Child in the Woods. In that book, he outlined how our indoor lifestyle has deprived children of the active healthy connection with nature they need to fully develop. They often suffer from what he calls Nature-deficit Disorder. In The Nature Principle, he examines how adults suffer from it as well.

Here are the main questions The Nature Principle asks:

What would our lives be like if our days and nights were as immersed in nature as they are in technology?

How can each of us help create that life-enhancing world, not only in a hypothetical future, but right now, for our families and for ourselves?

I can’t recommend this book enough. While it doesn’t shy away from our modern day problems, it will also convince you that all is not lost. They’re are a lot of great people doing wonderful work as it relates to nature and healing. In fact, like me, you may find the book downright inspiring.