Consider the following questions. You are free to post your comments below:
What do you think about Herodotus' view about the relationship that humans should have with nature?
If humans left nature to its own devices what might Earth look and feel like?
What could be a counter argument to that of Herodotus?
Does nature need human beings?
Created in 1908, The Japanese Garden at Cowden is listed as an important example of its type in Western Europe.
Nestled beneath the Ochil Hills the seven-acre garden wraps around a large pond. Enjoy the meandering walk by the water, taking in the changing scenes created by sculpted landforms, carefully placed stones, clipped shrubs and original stone lanterns.
Restoration of this historic garden is ongoing, so this is an opportunity to see the project in its early stages.
Take a look at this walk through of this beautiful garden in Clackmannanshire, Scotland.
Read more about the garden's founder, Ella Christie and the ecological history of the garden here.
Can you identify any symbols of balance in the garden tour?
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Imperfection is the basic principle of Wabi-Sabi, the Japanese philosophy of accepting your imperfections and making the most of life.
“Wabi” is said to be defined as “rustic simplicity” or “understated elegance” with a focus on a less-is-more mentality.
“Sabi” is translated to “taking pleasure in the imperfect.”
The concept of wabi-sabi, is wide and almost impossible to distil in a single post, but can easily be applied simply to moments of everyday life.
What moments of every day life do you take the most pleasure from?
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This Japanese practice is a process of relaxation; known in Japan as shinrin yoku.
The simple method of being calm and quiet amongst the trees, observing nature around you whilst breathing deeply can help both adults and children de-stress and boost health and wellbeing in a natural way.
Tips for beginners
Consider the relationship that human beings have with nature.
Contrast the concept of forest bathing with the views of Herodotus above.
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Ikigai (生き甲斐) translated to English roughly means “thing that you live for”.
Ikigai is thought to have originated in Okinawa, where the term is most closely associated with “the reason you get up in the morning”.
The author and explorer Dan Buettner took us on a journey to lands of longevity, which he called Blue Zones, in his TED Talk, How to live to be 100+. Okinawa was one of those lands and Buettner suggested the Ikigai philosophy was one of the reasons people in the area have such long lives.
Health Ministry data from 2001 showed 400 centenarians living in Okinawa, or 34 for every 100,000 people. The equivalent figure for the United States at the time was about 10 in 100,000.
The word ikigai refers to two things according to Noriyuki Nakanishi of Osaka University Medical School:
According to Nakanishi’s paper, it’s not linked to one’s financial status.
You can feel ikigai even if your present is clouded in dark, as long as you can hold on to that thing that you live for.
The feelings associated with ikigai include a sense of fulfilment in everyday life, self-realisation, the motivation to live and a sense of existence and control.
Do you find inspiration from this approach to life?
Is this a means to achieve balance in one's life?
How could this concept be linked to the concept of nature?
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