Re-envisioning a way that could bring human beings closer to nature, leaving behind our human attempt and tendency to control and dominate nature replacing it with a more equanimous relation with our planet is very much needed. Eradicating this idea of nature as something wild that needs to be conquered (perhaps inherited from the colonizing eras).
Seems to me that this model for change not only needs to be thought and spoken about but more than anything needs to be acted upon. The state of emergency is here, there, everywhere.
The Nordic countries and their way of outdoor living called “Friluftsliv” as a slow and peak experiences in the transmodern society proposes a very clear and pragmatic model for this change, offering the perspective of co-operating with nature instead of controlling it. I agree with the author when stating: “free nature was our true home”. Then reconnecting with that essence could be a way to restore that lost forgotten connection. I also believe that by reestablishing contact with the natural environment something else happens within our bodies, systems, psyche. Effects very well recorded and explained in the article “effect of forest bathing”.
At a personal level of experience, I do feel positive shifts within my body and mind after spending time in nature, so I can see this model proposed by the Nordic countries as a viable and realistic approach to this problem. Healthy body, mind and soul creates a healthy society that translates into the world. This care certainly involves self-knowledge, responsibility and the willingness to share and learn from others, implies an inside-out journey that not only embraces the self but also our relation with others and the environment.
Society and culture are in constant exchange supported by economy and technology. How this economies are as well re-envisoned based on this new model? How the support system for this new way of living and acting is embodied? How we as artists living during this moment in history immersed in a culture that is always asking for more to consume at (every level) could contribute to that shift? What is the role of the artist within this new model?
Leaving behind the industrial era heading for a more fluid and perhaps even less tangible (virtual) reality together with the rapid generational change started in the second half of the 20th century and what we have experienced so far from the 21st century has created not only change but also a sequence of gaps. How do bridge them? Could somehow this model be a way for finding unison?