James Swan
Pulitzer Prize-winning biologist René Dubos likened our ecological state of affairs to that of a frog, who when hopping gaily along chanced to jump into a bucket of warm water. This body of water seemed rather pleasant to a cold-blooded creature, and so the frog went swimming about merrily. In time, the water grew warmer, and the frog responded by becoming more active and happy as his metabolism increased. However, the frog was unaware that he had jumped into a kettle of water being heated on the stove, and over time the temperature increased and increased, then suddenly the water came to a boil and the frog was cooked. Nature As Teacher and Healer: How to Reawaken Your Connection with Nature, 1992.
James Swan received a Ph.D. from the University of Michigan in natural resources and psychology. An outstanding communicator, he has appeared on numerous radio and TV shows, as well as a number of feature films. His books include Sacred Places; The Power of Place; and, with his wife, Roberta, Bound to the Earth.
Adaptation is part of human nature. We must adjust to the ever-changing cycles of nature to survive. Ibid.
The love of nature is something that people write about, talk about, and act upon, but we know precious little about its origins. Ibid.
It seems critical to underscore the primary importance of getting kids outdoors and helping them learn to enjoy nature with respect and wisdom, not fear, as being critical to kindling love and respect for nature. Ibid.
Nature can be a powerful source of wisdom and health, inspiring us and affirming our self-identity. Ibid.
Psychiatrist Carl Jung believed that we have two souls, an ancestral soul, which is wise and rooted in nature through sympathies and direct sensory perception, and a contemporary soul that is attuned to the culture in which that person lives. The primary mental diseases of modern humans are associated with loss of contact with the ancestral soul, which is so closely linked with the unconscious. Ibid.
The love of nature is at the core of the working psychologies of most native cultures, rather than being a peripheral issue as it is in contemporary psychology. Ibid.
Science does agree that whenever two or more things come into harmony, energy is exchanged. Believing that the Earth we live on is alive helps to bring the planet into harmony with our inner Earth . . . Ibid.
The methods of the organic farmer are all based on an understanding of the dynamics of systems, and the methods of control are rooted in changing natural relationships, letting nature do the work rather than applying poisons that often harm life systems far beyond a single pest. Ibid.
Modern science can agree with ancient wisdom that nature can and should be a teacher and healer in our lives. Ibid.