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: Exploring our good experiences in nature
"There are many places I have had life-affirming experiences at, but there is one particular experience that always stands out for me. It was the day I learned about the consciousness of rocks. I was at Jenny Lake up in the Sierra's at sun down. To briefly describe this experience is to do violence to it, but in short, the lake is a "puddle" in this great basin carved out by some ancient glacier which also took away a good third of this mountain peak, leaving it a "cut away" mountain (like the "Invisible Man" I had as a kid). As the sun set over the west ridge of this cut away, the shadow crept along the concave skeleton of the mountain. I watched this for what seemed a very long time, and then I climbed up to that zone where the rock slowly gives way to soil and then forest. I got down on my hands and knees and studied the many life processes that step by step and ever so slowly turned this mountain into forest soil--from rock to lichens to rooted plants to forest canopy. For the first time I had a sense of the loooong and slow consciousness of the stone people. The whole event was also backed up by a jammin' forest symphony of woodpecker percussion and avian arias. The deer were also out for their evening supper. "
"This experience is a deep part of my sense of self and my place in the world. That is why it is the first to pop into my mind when I think of significant places in my life. "
"Nothing is stronger that the rock solid base of all life on Earth. Now rocks are not just rolling around like marbles in my hollow head, but are a stone foundation for my heart and affinity for the world. Obviously more good experiences in nature add to my strength and spirit. "
I have always have had a fascination with nature. Nature seems to hold so much power and wisdom yet it is gentle, giving, and loving. Nature is where I base my spiritually. Within it lies a power that connects all things. Something that is beyond human thought and reason. It is just pure feeling. It transends cognitive reasoning and perception. Within nature lies so much love. To be in the flow of nature is to be at peace. Through this connection intuitional wisdom can be achieved.
Obviously humans have lost their connection with nature. I feel that this connection is key to happiness, understanding of the true workings of the world, and survival. Humans must understand a new and higher perspective. To be in the flow of nature is to tap into intuitional wisdom. Without this understanding of a larger perspective how can any other endeavor be successful? Our society is in turmoil because we have lost the love and understanding of nature. We need to re-immerse ourselves with nature. There is a beautiful and unexplainable force that connects all things with such fluidity and love. I hope to someday become in touch with it.
It was interesting learning about the 53 senses and the strings that connect everything. I wasn't a wholly new concept to me but it was interesting to try view and understand the world from a sightly different understand. The readings really showed me how nature can be such a wonderful mirror with which to view the self. I'm not sure that it enhanced my sense of worth or trustfulness of nature. However it was warming and very thought provoking. It definitely induced a longing the be within nature and reminded me of how important nature is to human existence. I enjoyed reading everyone's responses, especially hearing about people's personal experiences with nature.
"Well, to use the language of the History of Religions, it was a kratophany--a manifestation of the sacred in place. I experience the collapsing of thousands of millennia and even the future into that one tiny place at the biotic edge of this great garnet bowl--the universe in a grain of sand and lump of soil. Time and self were absorbed into place."
"The experience activated my sense of time, of extension in space, of weight. My sense of sight, sound, touch, taste, smell and aesthetic. My sense of breathing. My senses of small and large, near and far, high and low, then and now, why and how and my sense of where I am in the cosmos. Most importantly, my sense of being an Earthling. "
"Without what I've learned from classes, books, people and TV, I would not have had much of the context of experience and knowledge of geography, geology, soil biology, plant biology, astronomy, atmospheric science and acoustics, hydrology and the many cultural notions of the consciousness of rocks and mountains. The experience itself, though, did not come from any of these sources. It came immediately from my full participation in the moment and the place, such that self, time, and place we integrated into a singe existence."
"I recognize that the ability to register and retain attractive sensory contacts with nature are innate, but I also have learned that we don't notice what we're not interested in nor remember what we failed to notice. These things are in there somewhere (that's why hypnotism is interesting, no?), but if we are not conscious of them, then they do little good for our physical, spiritual, and social development. "
"I've been coming to my own conclusions about "reality" and how things are only how we perceive them because of what we've been told all of our lives by society. This applies extremely well in the case of nature. I was sitting on a bench with a friend of mine the other day looking at the sidewalk, the grass and a small patch of some brush that was growing. They were all separated unnaturally by a gardener who made sure the brush would remain at the same size, the grass would cross the line, etc. I commented on this to my friend and he replied with a common response. We discussed how our attitudes as humans are taught to be that we should dominate nature when we should really be a part of it. "
"The activities of Part 1B, the different pictures, many of which I've seen before, all help to see this truth. Reality is simply how you perceive it. Many times by taking a step back you can see how your previous view of reality was in some way incorrect, or fogged. I saw one of these, the old lady who is also the young lady looking away, in a good book I read about realizing how all of your actions are made by your choices. And many times we make the choices without thinking about it."
"At any rate I found this extremely beneficial and to back up what was only fermenting in my mind: The world of cities and cut grass with sidewalks around it isn't natural. I feel something unique and different in a natural setting. "
"I enjoyed the way this activity made you think about things and see a lot of things objectively. I had quite a positive experience with it. Although I still cannot formulate a definition of the term webstring, I think I'm beginning to at least understand it."
"I am sure that we may consider ourselves more ecologically aware and do our part to help the environment, but we still do our fair share of polluting whether consciously or not. Yet, we see beautiful sunsets and sunrises, and feel terribly trustful and comfortable in nature. For this I am greatly thankful because if nature did not unconditionally love us, we would be being put through one hell of a time. I like what you wrote though, keep it up. "
"I would say I reinforced or reminded myself about the aspects in nature that I really like. When I think about the many pre-sunrise surfs I have had I come to think about all the colors that slowly march across the sky as the sun gets closer and closer to peaking above the horizon. I love the contrast in colors from the east where bright gleaming rays of light spear through the clouds and then down on me providing a little warmth to a chilly morning and then to the west where the sky fades up from a dark blue along the horizon into faint hues of pink and purple. These are the things I enjoy, recognizing the ability of nature to create beauty day in and day out. And the fact that it is just me and nature out on these mornings just adds to the specialness of them to me."
"One of the most attractive experiences I have ever had with nature was climbing to Glacier Point at Yosemite. It is a four mile hike up 2000 vertical feet, uphill all the way on steep switchbacks. You never think you are going to reach the top but when you finally do, you look over the edge at the whole valley in all of it's majesty. To say it is breathtaking is an understatement! It is a feeling that is indescribable and exciting, one that everyone needs to feel. I hope I will get to experience that feeling many times in this course."
"I found it interesting that the other people all seemed so exuberant about the whole prospect of things. People all seemed to be entering the program and focusing upon events in their life that connected them to nature and hoping to capture those feelings more(myself included.) After further thought I don't want to chase after those feelings, scrambling for edible fragments of my past, as I do that enough anyway. I am instead interested in finding new feelings, connections, webstrings, or whatever that will define the ever-changing and moving experiences of myself. "
"I too have felt a strong connection with nature. Some of my strongest feelings of connection with nature have occurred when I was in the Julian mountains. It has been there that I have actually forgot about the many stress's and busy days of life at home and in the city. It has been there when I have felt as a real part of something and not just a busy ant doing all his work, separate from everything else and fighting for himself. My strongest connections have also occurred at unplanned moments when all of a sudden something almost magical occurred and I and those around me sensed a closeness and a spiritualness that I experience on an incredibly rare basis. Although these experiences are incredible, they are also something I do not wish to feel all the time as they are defining moments in my life and incredibly powerful. They mean so much because of this. "
"This activity mainly permitted me to realize and reaffirm some of my beliefs about nature. It reawakened a passion for the outdoors and the mountains that I had been forgetting about a bit. It excited me more about the next time I will go to the mountains or some form of nature. "
"This activity has begun to enhance my sense of self-worth appreciation of nature. I also had a revelation as a result!! I have a plant that I keep in my dorm room, and try to rotate it from my desk to the top of the microwave (next to the window sill) so it can get some sunlight. And right after I did the exercise, I realized that the newest stalks and leaves of the plant were extending and bending toward the light!! I was very excited about this webstring discovery in my very own room, but there was no one to share it with who would take me seriously. My roommate rolled her eyes and my boyfriend told me that I was wrong, and that this is only a physical/ biological trait, nothing more. So I'm looking forward to reading all of your responses to 1A and relating to and learning from your experiences! "
"I think your example of the plant's attraction to light is great, and Hristo, your comments on it were right on. As I see it, if we chose to, we could simply explain the orientation of the plant toward the light source as biological and nothing else, and most people would likely be satisfied with that explanation. But it is no less true that the plant has an attraction to the light would not accurately be portrayed simply by looking at it scientifically. To me, science is no more true than emotions and webstring attractions."
"In regards your rather disappointing experience with your roommate and her boyfriend I'd like to point out something. I find that most people are simply relying on what they've been told to perceive things as. A lot of times people don't go by what they feel and perhaps know to be true but simply on what society and everyone else has told them. For example they might believe nature is simply a series of biological processes for which we can only take advantage of in a technological sense. But we can also use it emotionally, as you've mentioned. At best we can hope to persuade these people to at least question some of their beliefs, and those who refuse we can only hope to change through our own example. "
"My most memorable and important positive experiences in nature come from frequent visits to the woods, to a fort, in my hometown Austin, TX. In fourth grade a friend down the street from me built this fort in the nearby woods, now virtually surrounded by houses, save one strip not being developed. Deer live in the forest and the other nearby strips as well. "
"The fort was rather bland, though well built when myself and a few of my other friends started regularly going down there to hang out and spend the night. We'd build campfires and simply have a great time hanging out in the woods. "
"The fort is simply four corner stone trees with barbed wire and horizontal logs supported vertical logs and sticks that make a four cornered open aired fort. We brought an old couch and a few chairs and it quickly became my favorite hangout. "
"I think that I enjoyed the fort so much because there definitely is something inherently pleasing about being in a natural setting. Especially when I feel comfortable with my good friends. Whenever we'd go to the fort, we were almost in another mode, when we'd come back out to the street it would seem almost foreign, different. The morning was one of my favorite times at the fort, so we'd spend the night ceremonially whenever something important happened: leaving for college, etc."
"I savor my moments in pure nature, without the presence of the ugly boxes we refer to as buildings. There's a cold feeling in big cities. My best experiences in nature were definitely at the fort. I look forward to going back home and I'm sure I'll go out to the fort with my friends. "
"When I read it I noticed it was a lot like Dr. Cohen's lecture and I felt a lot of the same feelings this time as I did during the lecture. I need to reconnect with nature I am detached from some of the natural webstrings I am not detached from all of the natural webstrings. "
"My soul felt very guilty for being disconnected from nature for so long. It is excited and remorseful at the same time. I have to say that starting this course has inspired a number of emotions in me mostly good but enough that are depressing to notice. IS ANYONE ELSE FEELING THIS? I found everyone's' experiences very attractive you all are very lucky. "
"First of all, I'd like to promote the use of the word "webstring." I like it and it appeals to what I conceive of natural attractions. "
"When I did the activity, I reflected on my experiences with the beach. As I mentioned in my intro, I was born and raised in San Diego and have many personal ties to the ocean. I am very excited about being at Santa Barbara now because I have a new beach to discover and experience. The activity made me realize that even though I love and appreciate nature, I do subconsciously cut and injure webstrings within and around me. This was somewhat disturbing, and I am hoping that as the course continues, I will learn ways in which to stop myself from doing this, as I now am unaware. Another important thing I learned from doing this exercise was that even though I fully believe the concept that webstrings are a form of unconditional love, I have yet to truly experience them in this way. I also realized that my occasional bouts of undue depression may be a result of isolation from the web process, as I sometimes become deeply and sad and troubled without ever having a clear "reason" as to why. "
"Laurel you wrote that you never thought of nature loving you back but considered that all you experience in nature despite of how you act towards nature. I am sure that we may consider ourselves more ecologically aware and do our part to help the environment, but we still do our fair share of polluting whether consciously or not. Yet, we see beautiful sunsets and sunrises, and feel terribly trustful and comfortable in nature. For this I am greatly thankful because if nature did not unconditionally love us, we would be being put through one hell of a time."
"I have had many incredibly wonderful experiences in nature, almost all of which have been in the past 6 or 7 years. I have found that these times draw me back to them again and again, and as I incorporate these experiences into myself, I feel better as a person. It is as if I am drawn to the strength and beauty of nature within me, as well as being deeply attracted to the natural world around me. I know that I grow in spirit as a person with each and every natural connection."
"Whether it was our summer day on the shores of Bow Lake in the Canadian Rockies, or watching Orcas surface off the coast of San Juan Island, or running through a sunlit high-mountain pasture after a thunderstorm in the San Juan Mtns of Colorado, the experience brought me peace. My sensory attractions were to the colors of earth and sky, the feel of the wind, the warmth of the sun, the sounds of the Orcas, the aspen leaves dancing, the textures of tree bark, the motion of clouds, the softness of the rain turning to icy hardness of hail. And I was, and am, attracted to the feelings....those of peace, serenity, and joyful play....those of community and friendship with my natural world family. I become all these feelings...I become who I really am. "
"I was not taught any of this as a child, or in school or by reading...in fact I was a terrified rebellious kid/adult who used to hang out in bars, drinking and smoking and always searching for...something! Yet my nature connections seem to have always existed within me, even though as many people, I was blinded to it by society. Now I feel so fortunate to have allowed that tiny window to open up in my societal armor, through which nature in me and around me made this profound connection. This connection feels good, it feels ancient and wise, it feels supportive and caring and peaceful. Nature tells me all living things share this connection. Underneath all the "stuff", this is how I experience Life. "
"I did this activity sitting in my yellow-leafed yard on this warm day...as I recalled the natural areas I have experienced, I felt at great peace, smiling and laughing, with a profound sense of well-being. It strengthened my belief that we have an ancient, inborn connection with the natural world...that in fact we are nature. That silent contemplation on past good experiences can and do reconnect us to them and their rewards, right now in the present moment. That during each moment we can choose to seek and find a natural sensory attraction and follow it to feelings of peace, love, fun, oneness, and happiness. The activities enhance senses of self-worth and trust in nature, absolutely, every time!! This is why I love the earth so much. "
"The part of me this activity identifies is that part of me that is the Orca at play, the aspen leaves shimmering, the clouds billowing and floating, the water rippling with sun sparkles, the peace of the high mountain meadows in summer, the laughter of deep friendship, the deer with big soft eyes and flicking tail...the connection I share with all life around me. "
"Sounds like you had an amazing experience with nature when you were young. how wonderful! your experience gives me more conviction of the "webstrings": even though you had probably never heard of "webstrings" when you were young, you still had that connection with nature and it seems to have stayed with you through maturity. I'm just curious to know if you think that those experiences shaped a large portion of who you are, and if they affect your relationships with other people? "
"An experience in nature that I enjoyed very much was several years ago when I lived in a rural area with several hundred acres of woods just beyond my backyard. The woods were quite marshy and the ground was always covered with soft, green moss. The water undermined the root systems of several trees and they had long ago toppled over. Their roots stood up and were also draped in moss. I loved to draw the tangled root branches which were like magnificent sculptures. I enjoyed the gentle sounds of the woods: The trickle of water over stones, twittering birds and breezes. Over many months I also began to sense a powerful energy dwelling in the stillness. I felt that nature was speaking a language I had once known but had forgotten. I think that nature planted a seed in me that this course is helping to grow."
"At the age of twelve I went to glacier National Park in Montana. During this trip I was able to experience nature in a way that I never had before. One specific moment stands out in my mind. My parents, brother and I decided to go to a secluded lake because all the major lakes were full of people. We walked for hours until we came to the lake. This lake had a thin layer of mist over it, but visibility was not obstructed. The flora and fauna stretched to the edges of the bank and decomposing trees lay in the water close to shore. There were no boats, no fishermen, and no tourists taking photographs. Evidence of wildlife was shown when a huge moose cross the water across the lake. Since the lake was void of humanly sounds, I could hear the sound of water as the moose stepped along. This was probably the only time that I have been in a habitat that was untouched by man."
"I had many different reactions to all of the different things presented to think about. Things were talked about involving nature and I often forget to be aware of my surroundings and appreciate them. I know and understand the concept of all the strings but it's true that when one is out and looking at nature, you often don't see all of the connections. Nature seems so free and alive that to analyze it in a more technical nature is often not my natural response. Nature is completely unconditional accepting everything and adapting to the process of life. "
"One thing that I found very ironic is that as I read more and more, I began thinking of my day and my little involvement with nature and realized I was sitting here, in my room, and looking at a computer screen talking about such in-depth concepts of nature. Completely detached from nature with the exception of my mind remembering experiences or picturing places. I found it odd that it was such great, mind-provoking reading on nature, and I was sitting in a room closed off from it all. It makes me all the more aware of the fact that I need to make a conscious effort to keep in touch with nature. Somewhere it said something about your life losing potential because of this but I believe as long as we avoid all the harms around us and focus on connecting with nature, we are all fine. Everyone at times will feel lonely or sad or stressed, unfortunately, but it is not based on simply our isolation from nature. These are the most important times to reconnect with nature and we can't blame disconnection as the cause of these distresses. Basically, nature is an important factor for our sense of self in our lives. Nature can soothe the hassles of everyday life which makes it all the more important that we take care of it. "
"I did this activity simply by reading, stopping to think and continuing. I took several breaks and walked outside, did other things between finishing this assignment. This activity didn't teach me three things that I could just state or explain, it just caused me to think about many things I really hadn't considered before. It made me get past the simple nature is beautiful, make sure we preserve it. It made me look more at the structure of nature and myself, comparing the two. It made me contrast the different aspects and ideas turning inside to myself, placing some statements that I had never really thought of that described some responses in me that I wouldn't have realized or expected. This activity didn't have any huge life altering affects but it did make me look inside a little more than usual. It made you truly analyze some things in depth, that aren't usually placed before you to think about. It just made me think of how much nature helps me in getting through those everyday problems of loneliness, sadness, and stress. "
"I also agree with those of you who feel that the term "webstring" is an apt one. To me, it brings images to mind of interconnectedness and also of fragility. A string can so easily be cut. So the word webstring reminds me both of the mutual dependence among webstrings and of the need to be maintain the strength of these connections. "
"I like your statement that "I think that I enjoyed the fort so much because there definitely is something inherently pleasing about being in a natural setting." It reminds me of how I have felt this week. I just started a new job, and outside my office is an open-air courtyard with a natural setting - a stream, ferns, trees, rocks, etc. Whenever I look out at this setting, I feel this strong attraction to go to it, yet I can't. It seems like I was attracted to what would be an inherently pleasing experience, but I was trapped in an office. I think the inability to go outside frustrated me, as I knew that I was drawn outside yet could not go. Maybe I'll just take my desk outside! "
"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."
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