If you’re reading this, the chances are pretty high that you’re reading this indoors in a climate controlled, sterile room. Hopefully that room is filled with plants and getting lots of Sun. I always thought it was interesting how screen savers at work were of the most beautiful places in nature away from the city life. I’m a city boy through and through but my screen savers at work were of mountains, deserts, beaches and jungles. We’re humans that are animals! No matter how many civilizations we create, we’re always going to be biologically wired to nature. We’re in need of nature today! Dire need actually!
Cities have allowed us to remove the external threats to our lives from nature such as ferocious predators, most insects, and severe weather. However ironically we forgot that we’re supposed to live within nature not remove it! So today our modern environment in civilization that provides so many conveniences is in parrael killing us slowly as well. Non communicable diseases such as diabetes, heart disease, Alzheimer’s, etc barely existed before modern civilization but today they’re the number one thing killing us.
We went from external threats being the number one detriment to our health to now our own body being an internal threat to our lives. Our ancestors may not have always lived long but it wasn’t from any internal issue. They died from extreme weather disasters, animal attacks, and lethal pathogens. But they were healthy and stronger than us in every way. When I think of that I just can’t fathom how much weaker we possibly are. But the irony is we are the survivors’ descendant so that strength is within us. It’s just been locked within us never allowed to reach a fraction of its potential. Our convenient way of life has locked away that door to it and today we’re living longer but less healthy. Today in the first time for any species young humans are suffering more from muscle loss illnesses known as Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD), which is inherited and sarcopenia a condition that occurs in elderly people usually from lack of muscle use. Obesity is so common in young children. Keep in mind obesity is a new phenomemon as common as it is.
The Human Within, a Netflix docuseries about the human body that really shows the adaptability of our human bodies and how our body systems work. There was an episode about our immune system called Defend where twin teenagers had entirely different immune systems based on how they were being nutured and behave. Nature allowed Moms to naturally give a lot of different defenses to their offspring thru passive immunity. But eventually kids need to develop their immunity by interacting with lots of germs which is the opposite of what society enables.
Our society is sterile and there’s not many places anymore for kids in America to just be outside. Actually there’s not many places in America for families unless it’s to consume but this is a pro-life country *eye roll*. Unlike cities in places in Mexico or Portugal that have parks almost every other block filled with green spaces where dogs and kids can play. In the show the twins lived entirely different, one was a girly girl that did not like getting dirty and was glued to social media meanwhile the other twin was always on the ranch outside riding horses since she was a Escaramuza like her Mom. So the Mom and her mini-me twin rarely got sick and when either of them did it would be like for a day or two. However her twin that loved being inside on social media and never got dirty would get sick every year for at least a week.
Our body is a reflection of nature. We really are one! When you deprive your body of nature you’re literally depriving yourself. Go outside in nature away from the city as much as possible breathe in its air, listen to its sound, feel its body, and truly immerse yourself in it. I used to wonder why so many of us of the Africa diaspora would become sick more than our white counterparts. (I truly wish I went the anthropologist route or physician route sometimes because studies to this point ultimately are “unsure why” . Occasionally there maybe a few studies that claim its our genetics or racism plays a part somehow). However when I think of how many Black people live in cities mostly away from nature it kind of makes me go “Pause, is that one of the smoking guns?”.
White people do more outdoors activities than Black people (I don’t have the numbers just speaking anecdotally). More white people live in rural and suburban areas filled with green areas and have gated communities that have parks, trees, lakes, etc. More white people go camping, rock climbing, surfing, hunting, skiing/snowboarding, sailing, and hike more outdoors meanwhile a higher percentage of Black people live in the concrete jungle. I truly thank God we love to dance and excel in sports because that is what I believe has kept us in some good health. Now we just need to go outside!
It’s estimated that you should go outside without your phone for 20 minutes a day 3x a week, 5 hours a month, and 3 days a year to get the bare minimum benefits of being outside. Of course the more you spend the more beneficial it would be. Being outside provides benefits for your mind turning off all the stimulation resets your brain. Breathing in the air outside gives your body a boost of natural killer cells to prevent those external and internal threats to your body. Going outside reminds you that you are of this world!
Yoruba Demons 