I took this picture last week as I was preparing to lead a hike. It was a warm sunny day. Somehow campers had been told that ticks were a dangerous issue. As a precaution this girl tucked her pants into her socks, wore two shirts, a sweat shirt, bandanna, and sunglasses. (I'm still not sure what the sunglasses do)Shortly after I took this picture I asked for someone to pray. This girl volunteered and her prayer went something like this: "Dear Jesus, keep us safe from all the wild animals as we hike. Don't let the ticks or the bears get us. Help no-one get hurt and I hope we all are alive to come back"
While not a clinical term, Nature Deficit Disorder is a phrase that has been used to describe a type of life style which most of our campers live. It is an environment characterized by technology and where the only living things are humans; no trees, animals, plants, or untamed areas.
I think this little girl was beyond Nature Deficit Disorder. She was genuinely fearful to go into the woods. Her views of the wild, and especially bears had been shaped by Disney. Even a small conversation about the need to check for ticks by her consoler would re-enforce her paranoia of nature's danger.
I would encourage your comments
2 comments:
One summer night when I was working at Deerpark, a number of staff, myself included, decided to 'haunt' the woods while the campers (teenagers) were fairly far from the buildings, around a campfire. Well, hard learned lesson, we scared the kids beyond reason. It is another aspect of NDD, just being in the dark was enough to have them on edge and then one scream curdled their blood. We had quite a time on our hands calming things down. Don't try it, you have been warned. :)
S-
That's unsettling.
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