If War Occurs, That Positive Adult Contact

Nature-the Sublime, The Harsh, And The Beautiful-offers Something That The Street Or Gated Community Or Computer Game Cannot. Nature Presents The Young With Something So Much Greater Than They Are; It Offers An Environment Where They Can Easily Contemplate Infinity And Eternity.

It Takes Time--loose, Unstructured Dreamtime-- To Experience Nature In A Meaningful Way. Unless Parents Are Vigilant, Such Time Becomes A Scarce Resource, Not Because We Intend It To Shrink, But Because Time Is Consumed By Multiple, Invisible Forces; Because Our Culture Currently Places So Little Value On Natural Play.

In Medieval Times, If Someone Displayed The Symptoms We Now Identify As Boredom, That Person Was Thought To Be Committing Something Called Acedia, A 'dangerous Form Of Spiritual Alienation' -- A Devaluing Of The World And Its Creator.

We Are Telling Our Kids That Nature Is In The Past And It Probably Doesn't Count Anymore, The Future Is In Electronics, The Boogeyman Is In The Woods, And Playing Outdoors Is Probably Illicit And Possibly Illegal.

If We Desire A Kinder Nation, Seeing It Through The Eyes Of Children Is An Eminently Sensible Endeavor: A City That Is Pro-child,for Example, Is Also A More Humane Place For Adults.