I was intrigued by this image from a website called Next Nature which invites us to examine the ways in which technology and nature interconnect, complement each other, and lock horns. On Sunday morning I watched one of our teens showing one of our toddlers her cell phone and he was fascinated. It may not start in the womb, but the technological training begins early.
A review of the Next Nature site borrows some of their material in offering:
" Children know more brands and logos than bird and tree species! NextNature.net seeks to "radically shift your notion of nature. Our image of nature as static, balanced and harmonic is naive and up for reconsideration. Where technology and nature are traditionally seen as opposed, they now appear to merge or even trade places. We must no longer see ourselves as the anti-natural species that merely threatens and eliminates nature, but rather as catalysts of evolution. With our urge to design our environment we create a ‘next nature’ which is unpredictable as ever: wild software, genetic surprises, autonomous machinery and splendidly beautiful black flowers. Nature changes along with us!"
When we went to Quebec to meet our new grandson, Nicholas, my wife, Ruth, video'd me holding him in my arms saying softly, "I'm going to teach you about the birds, and take you canoeing..." I didn't realize she was doing so, so it caught me off guard when she played it back for me today. For me, taking on that role teaching about creation will be an important aspect of teaching about the Creator. I'll take it seriously and playfully.
What are your thoughts about this?
I didn't know any of my grandparents, but I have an uncle who played this role in my life. (the giver of knowledge, not so much a grandparent)He brought the natural world to my attention - identifying tree bark, birds, fish, reading the weather, and bringing me out on the water. Everytime I visit him I am transported back to the best and most peaceful times of my childhood. (the rope swing still hangs from the tree)
ReplyDeleteIn reading this, I just realized that my sons have 8 grandparents (yes-8!) and not one of them has passed this gift on to them (or me). My Pop did it for me and I remember our walks in the bush, identifying animal tracks and bringing home dried bark to write on. We picked wild berries and I discovered the beauty of wild snapdragons and trilliums. Thank you for writing this because it is a reminder that I need to do a lot more to provide my kids with these experiences before they grow up only learning about these same things from an app on their ipod.
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