Indigenous people the world over all seem to regard nature with especial veneration, awe, respect, and the 'civilized' world tends to regard those people as innocent of worldly intelligence, knowing nothing of the wonders of technology, of urban life and all its impressive life-style qualities and opportunities. Some of us know instinctively, called from a deep inner source of yearning that nature soothes and fulfills our longings for peace and there is a deep-seated sense of security when one is surrounded by nature.

It is there for us to appreciate in all its visual and tactile manifestations. We respect nature for its power over us and our environment, and feel gratitude toward it for our very lives and the quality that thriving green environments brings to those lives. And we invest time when we can to immersing ourselves in natural surroundings seeking balance in our lives.

And now, lo and behold, the regard with which societies like those of the North American native populations invest in their heritage in living within nature, and like that of Japan which holds nature in such a special place, is spreading. There are some North American physicians who have decided that research showing that immersing oneself however briefly in green surroundings has an absolute health benefit for people, physically and psychologically and that research proves much.

They have gone to lengths to prescribe for many of their patients presenting with signs of impending mental illness, emotional stress and other symptoms of emotional and psychic deprivation, a break away from city culture to focus on forests, on camping opportunities. This is a whole-life value that we have recognized, the entire lengths of our lives, my husband and I, and embraced to fulfill an inner need and longing we have.

We continue in our 80s to embark on daily hour-long visits to a forest adjacent our home, grateful for the good fortune that it can be accessed so readily. In earlier years we made an effort to take ourselves and our children out as frequently as we could to the great outdoors, to forests and mountains and lakes to bask in the health-giving qualities they are responsible for, and to enjoy the landscapes for their visual beauty.

One can accept all the benefits of modern life in cities, but still understand that we lose touch with nature at our own peril.