There is a deep philosophy in woods, mountains, and water, a philosophy we can better dream of than describe, a philosophy only firsthand meetings with nature can intimate.
This desription is taken from the book "Wisdom in the Open Air - The Norwegian Roots of Deep Ecology, by Peter Reeds and David Rothenberg. The Philosophy they pinpoint is the norwegian tradition of friluftsliv. To some the word "friluftsliv" translates as "outdoor recreation" or literaly "Open Air Life". Yes, friluftliv is life - but so much more than "recreation". It is an approach to being in nature, simple in meens but rich in ends, a way home to find the very roots of our souls, a way to harmony with nature. Therefore it is not easy to translate the term "friluftliv" into english. It is a truly norwegian term, first used by the famous norwegian poet Henrik Ibsen in his poem "Paa Viddene".
In the norwegian tradition, friluftsliv is experiencing and encountering nature. A way of being in nature that developes empathy and affection for nature - or Self-realization in the deep ecological sense.
No comments:
Post a Comment