Nature and the Pursuit of Life: Staying in Touch with the Outdoors

When we go back in time, there was once a state in which nearly everyone lived deeply connected to nature and the outdoors. People farmed their land, they hunted and they gathered. It was very clear and the order of the world made sense. In a day and age where the speed of everything has gone into mach 5, I feel more than ever it is crucial to move backwards in the way we approach life. Today, we are annoyed when we find out about breaking news 10 minutes after our friends and colleagues. We expect instant responses from our friends and co-workers, we demand 24-7 communication, and we are upset when we don’t draw the perfect search result from Google. I run an internet business and am guilty of many of these traits and expectations, but it has come to this. Has it not?

Many of our children play video games instead of floor hockey, or baseball, and their access to noisy garbage online is certainly unlike anything my generation had. I hate to admit it, but in college I had a pager and a Brother word processor. Never has there been a more important time than now to expose our youth, ourselves, our parents, friends and families to the outdoors. I recently read about a recently recognized condition called “NDD”, or Nature Deficit Disorder. It is a sad reality that many people do not enjoy and or appreciate the critical importance of the outdoors and what it can do to expand the mind, our focus, and to calm the emotions or stress, and keep the ego in check by creating a more peaceful and fulfilled life.

If there is one action item I hope you all take from this, here it is: at some point in the near future stop your vehicle, get outside and lean up against a tree and close your eyes. Listen to the sounds of the birds, the leaves blowing, the animals walking, and breathe that energy in deeply. Our bond with nature is much of the key to a life that is more fulfilled. Let us take the thoughts, the secrets and the ideals and energy of those who stood centuries before us and not allow NDD to infect our society.

David Farbman

The only thing typical about my life is the non-typical nature that I appear to live in. I firmly believe in the natural order of the world, and I find that this belief helps to navigate me through life, business, and relationships, resonating with my soul. I am in flow with nature and the universe in this way. I blog in an effort to pass on a message about the connections between nature, hunting, and life. Within that realm lies an authentic, clearer path to universal connectivity that I try to live in. The answers to many of our desired outcomes can be found there. My desired outcome is to successfully pass on the ideas, wisdom, and karma that come to me because of my connection with nature and the universe. As this script unfolds in my life, I want to share and help others while adding to the greater good of the world. Many people claim this, but I truly mean it and I bring it into action every day I am on this earth--or at least I sure try. I learned to hike, camp, canoe, horseback ride, fish, and sling arrows at a very young age. A spiritual connection with the outdoors came to me as a little boy and the power of this connection has greatly increased over my lifetime. As a hyper-active person since birth, nature has always settled me down and focused me in while helping me tap into thoughts and ideas that exist within the ether. By thinking, feeling and then willing something to happen after first opening our minds and our vision in a neutral state, we can achieve that which is otherwise unthinkable. I turned 40 years old last October and this past year has served as my catalyst year to promote change. I am in a process of self-actualization as I try to live present in each moment of each day. As part of this process, certain feelings must be turned into actions and done so with complete authenticity. I often write thoughts that come to me and in turn help others--and I believe the greatest return in life is to successfully give. I founded Outdoor Hub in 2007 along with a talented bunch of people and together we created something special. For as long as I can remember I have dreamed of doing something that would help to grow the outdoors and grow hunting--earning it the respect it deserves amongst those who choose not to hunt. I am so excited to be on this journey and I invite you into the field, to climb up a tree, to crawl through the swamps and be one with nature together. Thank you for joining me, the hunt is on...