Personal Story

Personal Story

I appreciated reading more about Dr. Becker's personal life. There are many aspects of her life that i could relate to. In particular, was her experience with looking for guidance from the earth. There has been a few specific times in my life i have asked the cosmos, "what should I do with my life," and have received undeniable signs from nature. One night i was having a hard time making a very important decision, when i asked the earth if i should do something, right then the most beautiful, green tinted shooting star instantly flew through the clear night. I knew then, that i was to make the right choice.

Another part of Dr. Becker's story that i related to was the need to move out of Puna. Even though i was accomplishing my goal to be on solar and catchment, the drive to Hilo 5 or 6 times a week was just too much. It is truly a big island and i made a conscious decision to limit the time i was going to be in the car. I found Papaikou just far enough out of Hilo and just close enough for me not feel like i was wasting two hours of my waking day in commute. Although i did find a new appreciation for books and text books on CD/MP3.

When i followed the links that were highlighted in the blog i found a lot of interesting ideas and experiences. Nature Deficit Disorder is a very real and underestimated consequence of the modern world, not only for children but for people of all ages. With an overwhelming amount of instant entertainment in America has led to a digital age, where most of our time is spent inside and by ourselves. This is not healthy both psychologically and physically. Humans benefit from sunshine and activity with others. Children who live in inner cities have less accessibility to nature and safe outdoor environment for them to play and reflect. There needs to be more focus on making sure people spend time out in nature.

Eating local and organic is also very important for the peoples' health and the local economy. I think that a law should be passed to banned any corporate fast food chain from having a restaurant within 5 miles of Hilo town. Just having McDonalds 5 miles outside of town would deter those people who really don't want fast food but are in a hurry and poor. Then local diners could attempt to make more affordable menus because they would have more customers. This would be a win win situation.