This Father's Day I walked around in the grass with no shoes or slippers on, for the first time in God knows how long. I did it very intentionally, like it was a checkbox on my To-Do list. I admit, this probably sounds a bit odd. Don't I have more important things do than prance around, barefoot, in a lawn? Doesn’t that sound kinda random? But let me ask you, honestly, when's the last time you felt the cool grass between your toes?
Isn't it interesting that childhood was full of running around in the yard, climbing trees, and exploring the creeks and rivers of your town but now all you do is go from air-conditioned space to air-conditioned space? Why do we only seem to look at nature and not interact with it anymore, like a captive in a comfort bubble? Even when I go on long walks, I'm wearing thick grey crocs and walking on paved roads and sidewalks. Nature is detached and at a distance. The trees are trimmed but I don't know what their bark feels like. The flowers are beautiful but I don't know what they smell like.
An understandable rebuttal to what I'm pointing out is that the allure of outdoor spaces is much stronger when you're young and tends to fade when you get older. When you're an adult, there are more interesting things to focus on than the trees and the flowers outside because "you've been there and done that." But I don't think the point of my message is “nature should amaze you,” it's “nature is important for your well-being”--we've over-indexed on synthetic spaces to the determent of our health.
For most of human history, mankind has lived connected to nature. The weather used to matter. Where the sun was in the sky had significance. A storm on the horizon struck fear (and a little excitement) into the hearts of people. But today we don't need to care about any of it. Our homes can weather any storm. Our HVAC systems can regulate the temperature no matter the season (I can enjoy ice cream in December and warm soups in July). Our lived environment isn't in nature, nature's outside of our windows, the only nature inside is the potted plant we can barely keep alive.
I can't truly make any scientific statements about the affect this has had on our mental health. But, it seems a bit odd that the number one advice from mega-popular Stamford neuroscientist Andrew Huberman is "get some sunshine." It's odd that UFC CEO Dana White's doctor encourages everyone to go outside as a healthy protocol.1 It's odd that Vitamin D deficiency was a hot button topic during the COVID pandemic.
I hope this week's post doesn't come off as too negative (though I feel it could sound like anti-human progress). I'm just calling out that total convenience is a very recent thing and not “normal.” Humans are used to physical hardship and our bodies and minds are designed to build tolerances. For instance, I remember one NYC summer I challenged myself to not turn on my AC for the entire season. Except for one evening where I just couldn't stand the humidity in my apartment, I stayed loyal to my sans-AC challenge. And do you know what happened next? I could suddenly manage the NYC summer heat (anyone from NY will tell you that summer in the city is like hell on Earth). I was comfortable without AC or a ceiling fan. In fact, I had to wear a sweater to work because the office was too cold. I suddenly realized that the heat was not unnatural, my dependence on AC was.2
Anywho, I challenge you go outside today and do what I did. Go walk around in the grass. No shoes, no socks, no slippers. Remember how it feels. And make sure to watch out for dog poop.
Yours,
-Rahul
P.S. a reminder you can reply directly to oldmanrahul@substack.com, or you can tweet me @oldmanrahul about this edition. Thanks for reading and supporting my writing :)
Maybe the Europeans are on to something.