Just read (from a credible scientific
source) that a couple of generations ago native Alaskans were never
nearsighted. ("Farsighted" means you can't see things up close.
"Nearsighted" means you can't see things at a distance.)
The
theory is that native Alaskans spent so much of their time in the wild.
They needed their distance sight. Their bodies responded.
Today native Alaskans have TVs and computers and stay indoors a lot more. About 30% of native Alaskans are now nearsighted.
Which got me thinking that when we're not forced to use some physical or mental or emotional capability ... we lose it.
We
don't have to figure out how to grow our food. Or run five miles at a
clip. Or explore beyond what we read in the newspaper or see on the
tube. Or think out of the box. We don't have to do that stuff, so we
don't.
We are lulled into complacency. Freakin' pampered. We
accept limits and walls and rules and borders. Like sheep. It's easy to
become insignificant and weak and learn to like it.
In Nepal,
if you're nearsighted, the Sherpa wisdom is to spend time staring at
the distant moon and clouds. The Sherpa wisdom is that your eyesight
will improve.
We need some new wisdom. We need to fix all sorts of nearsightedness.
We need to learn how to see the walls and fences closing in on us. And then push beyond them.
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