PROJECT NATURECONNECT
Institute of Global Education
Special NGO Consultant to the
United Nations Economic and Social Council
WWW.WEBSTRINGS.ORG
An archive of University of California at Santa Barbara student responses and interactions in the webstring Natural Systems Thinking Process Orientation Course on the internet. Student names are witheld to protect their privacy and safety.
Course title: Psychological Elements of Global Citizenship:
The Science of Connecting With the Web of Life, the Art of Thinking With Nature
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Page Topic: Why we want to offer and take this course.
Attractions "The environment has always been one of my most influential interests. There's something about nature that is a release for me, it's spiritual, claming, inspirational, and so much more. From my days as a little girl there has always been an attraction to the outdoors, which is one I see myself maintaining throughout life. I want this attraction to be able to be enjoyed by those who come after me, in the scope of the world's timeline. I can't possibly imagine the world without the preserves of nature, some of which I have been lucky enough to enjoy. It would be an incredible misfortune if the selfishness of man destroyed nature's beauty for the rest of humanity."
Participation "I hope to gain a larger faith and understanding that I am not separate from the world around me but an integral part of it, and begin to reform relationships broken by the ease of isolation in our consumer, depersonalized society. I am entranced by the idea of learning how to learn directly from the natural world, the living Earth within and about myself, and rediscovering the other 48 senses I have neglected to consciously notice. As well as locating a refreshed perspective for myself through discussing connections with others, I hope to eventually pass this information on to friends and family so that we can share in this strengthening of self."
Community "What I found most interesting was the fact that this course helped so many kids that were into drugs and had poor grades. This is amazing because I have a friend who completed a similar course and it completely changed her life. Lastly I found that when the people created the communities in the wilderness it was really great that they had created their "utopia", "they were home". I really want that to happen to me and I hope this course will allow me to do that."
Stress Management "I have always found that whenever I ventured out of the city towards some natural setting I felt a great release. I believe that there is a great deal of pressure that society teaches us all to place upon ourselves. And although we are in control of this pressure, in the midst of our busy lives in the city it is very difficult to actually let it go. It seems to me that people who have taken this course have found a way to achieve that release through their connection with the natural environment. As are many things, the pressure that we place upon ourselves is simply a state of mind. It may lead towards depression or unhappiness, or poor connections with other people, but the result seems always to be constraint. In order to coexist in a society that is riddled with barriers, each inhabitant must learn to release and accept its own connections with everything else. From what I can see, it appears the this course may actually help people to do that."
Personal Growth "It interests me to hear what people have to say about Dr. Cohen's program, for I have known people who did things of the sort, but never this exact class. a friend of mine was an Outward Bound participant and it changed her life. It seems reasonable that such a connection with nature would improve people in these various realms of their life, such as amounts of stress, spiritual connectedness, etc...I am curious to experience the course for myself to see if these reactions that the people had are truly to be found. I know that spending time in nature will be a delight. I was surprised on the chart that had all of the different stats of people before and after such environmental classes, most all areas tested showed improvement. I could sure use this sort of stress reduction from time to time!!"
Belonging "The opportunity to take this course really excites me because at this point in my life I feel the need to regain communication with nature so that I might find better ways of living in its "global communtiy".
Relationship Building "As I was scrolling through all the statements and surveys that the program's participants' had written, I was amazed at the positive response. I think it is so wonderful that peoples' lives have been so deeply touched and enriched. I hope to acheive an improvement in my personal relationships and my stress level. Noticing that others slept and ate better, I hope to do the same. At times I have felt very lonely at UCSB, with the thousands of people here. It is difficult to make the connection that is necessary in order to feel fullfilled with others."
Happiness "It helps to go back to the beginning and simplify your life, this is what communing with nature does. To be out with no people along it is a return to innocence, there is no corruption or greed or hypocrisy. I love being out on the cliffs or on the beach by myself. Those have been the happiest times I have had here. I feel that a lot of the unhappiness in this world is realted to a disconnection with nature and self and I think that PNC will help me and the group with this problem."
Caring "I couldn't agree more with the idea that we must learn to love the environment first before we are able to help save it or protect it. I too,would like to promote peoples awareness of the environment so they care about it a little."
Recovery "It interests me to hear what people have to say about Dr. Cohen's program, for I have known people who did things of the sort, but never this exact class. a friend of mine was an Outward Bound participant and it changed her life. It seems reasonable that such a connection with nature would improve people in these various realms of their life, such as amounts of stress, spiritual connectedness, etc...I am curious to experience the course for myself to see if these reactions that the people had are truly to be found. I know that spending time in nature will be a delight. I was surprised on the chart that had all of the different stats of people before and after such environmental classes, most all areas tested showed improvement. I could sure use this sort of stress reduction from time to time!!"
Peace "On a global level, I am so exicted to hear that this program increases a sense of hope. That is one thing that is hard to keep in the forefront while facing a dire future. The peace that this program can bring is wonderful. This connection to nature, ourselves, and a higher power can counter balance the technology that is swiftly pulling us away from these three immensely important aspect to life. Hopefully the program will bring a higher sense of community to the globe."
Sanity "I'm very excited to be taking this course because of the incredible benefits Dr. Cohen described to us in his lecture. For the past few years, I have had a very strong spiritual connection with nature that has become an increasingly positive and inspiring force in shaping my self. I hope to dedicate myself to promoting environmental sanity and am optimistic that this course will be a powerful asset in relating to the planet and interacting with others in a way that will inspire responsible environmental consciousness.....have experienced a lot of stress sice coming to school and going on walks and runs was very helpful. I gained a lot of joy from these times that I didn't really understand, I felt it."
Spirit "For me personally, I have a spiritual connection with nature. It is like my religion. I don't worship the earth as a deity, but it is a religious experience for me. I feel like a part of the "circle of life" and that nature is the oversoul. I realize that everyone is different, but I think it is worthwhile for people to try to make a connection and see if it feels right to them."
Friendships "I tend to feel lonely here at school because of the mass amount of people here all rushing about their ways. Also living in a town where the predominant theme is getting drunk and acting without responsibility, something I hate, doesn't help. But no worries people on the same boat have surfaced for me and friends are always a good drug. It sounds like a lot of UCSB students have similar sentiments in this area. It's interesting that we're surrounded by people constantly, and yet are still lonely."
Fulfillment "I found that the two most important aspects that the program touches are the hopelessness and the spiritual voids that people often feel. I take environmental issues very personally so I can relate with the hopeless feelings. When I see damage done to the earth, or hear people that don't care I get very hurt and I take it as a personal insult. This can be good and bad. It is bad because it hurts me and gives me the hopeless feeling. But it can also be good if I channel my energy from sadness to activism. By having such personal feelings I get passionately involved and can be very productive if I use my energy in the right way. If I don't, I tend to lose faith that there will ever be improvements. I also think that nature has potential to fill the spiritual vacancy that many people feel."
Stress Relief "With school work and the pressures of making the transition to college life, and new friends I have found a lot of stress. I find that one way to relieve some of this stress is by going out into nature. Past participants' statements show that others have found this course as a way to relieve stress and connect them with nature. That sounds great to me right now. "
Reconnection "Society today has become so fast paced. When I go outside into a natural setting everything seems to slow down. I think everyone needs to do this a little more, and maybe there would be less violence, and such things. Society has become so separated from nature that they no longer appreciate what it has to offer, so they no longer care, or don't know about environmental issues. I think it is improtant that society find the importance of nature in everday life."
Simplicity "People in today's society generally are very disconnected from nature. Many people go long periods of time without being totally immersed in it and therefore don't realize how wonderful it is. People have forgotten about living simple lives and interacting with nature with so many modern day conveniences. They think that there's a lot more to life that what there really is and they complicate it. It is important to show people how relaxing and refreshing simple things and nature are. It is also important to make sure children know this as it can really improve the quality of their lives."
Disconnection "I believe that one of the biggest concerns with today's society is the lack of community between ourselves as well as nature. I feel that machines as well as technology have tended to distance us from each other. There is no longer a human to human connection but a human to machine to human connection. Machines create a breakdown in community because there is no longer a direct connection to nature. The signal must first be filtered through the machine to get to its destination. We are not even capable of existence without the aid of technology. What good are all these machines if we can't even fend for ourselves. We have become completely reliant of machines."
Integrity "We have come to understand that we are part of the highly complex and integrated system which is nature. Nature had given us instinct so that we could successfully exist in harmony with our environment. However we have lost our connection with their environment as well as much of our natural instincts which are keys to survival. Without this connection we can't understand how to live at peace with the biosphere. I hope that somehow humans can re-develop their connection with the environment that we live in."
Teaching "I have no idea how connecting with nature can be taught, but it sounds like this course has worked wonders for others, so I hope it does for all of us as well. I've been doing my best to stay connected with nature on my own, but I'm certainly open to new ideas!"
Wholeness "Through taking the Project Nature Connect course, I hope to come to a greater consciousness of my self as part of the ecological whole, nurturing my connections with nature and discussing pertinent issues with others. I believe that the more openly and deeply we can express ourselves to others, the more we are likely to act as natural beings, sharing a responsibility for the world around us. Being part of a whole means that one must interact with that whole, caring for the planet just as you care for your health and hygeine. The concept of fear, anxiety, and pain being emotions ilicited by nature as a means of pinpointing our lack of sensory support is one that I am intregiued by. By placing the foundations of disease in a lack of communion with nature, a solution of seemingly tremendous proportions becomes apparent."
Sensitivity "Discovering how to sensitize others to their place in nature without criticizing their relationships with themselves, each other, and all life forms with which we share resources is my ultimate goal."
Self-discovery Throughout most of my life I have taken a pessimistic view of the world. I have tended to despise people for their greed and look at the future of Earth as being very bleak because humans just don't care. One day, about two years ago, I realized I was the same type of person who I despised. I was not nice to others and was extremely greedy concerning my material possessions. I am not exactly sure what change my outlook on life, but I know it had to do with my loving family and a closeness to God. This change not only made me a friendlier person towards others, but also gave me a strong respect for the worldly community. I had always cherished the environment, but this change inspired me to take action and clean up this beautiful world. Although I have been on a handful of beach clean-ups and have recycled religiously, I still feel like I am not united with the Earth. I still buy items that I do not need and eat non-organic foods. I hope that in this course I will find out how I can "retrain my thought process" and " improve my relationship with the environment."
Continued on Page Three
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