What is it that causes that warm glow inside, the sense of peace and exhilaration when walking through the woods or sitting by the ocean and watching the sunset? Why are we spellbound by the beauty of a fresh snowfall clinging to trees, the smell and feel of the first warm day in spring, and the vistas of unspoiled prairies or mountain ranges?
 
Watching animals in the wild or even the behavior and antics of our pets can affect us similarly. Virtually everyone is touched by such experiences, even though we seem to be increasingly alienating and isolating ourselves from nature. Biologists call this phenomenon biophilia—defined as the human need for and love of natural places and creatures. 
 
If we canoe a beautiful crystal clear stream, note how the mood changes when we come upon an old tire lurking in the depths, a broken beer bottle gracing the forest floor on the wilderness backpack adventure, or the plastic bags entangling our bare feet as we stroll the ocean shore. Note how the view of the open prairie or desert is ruined when billowing factory smoke is seen in the distance, how offshore derricks interrupting the ocean's horizon diminish the wonder of the sunrise, and how spoiled the dead silence of the forest is when pierced with the irritating sound of a chain saw?
 
The interjection of human activity into these natural settings ruins them. It can change the mood from peace, wonder, and personal reflection to disgust, anger, and a sense of despair. Tripping over a pop can in nature is like spoiling a beautiful symphony by starting up a Harley Davidson. The chaos of centuries of forest refuse strewn about is a thing of beauty, but human refuse and junkyards are ugly and repulsive.

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The reason for this double standard is that at our core we are part of nature, not synthetics. Just as birds of a feather flock together, we are attracted to our own kind as well. Nature is our kind. Synthetic and industrial artificiality are not.

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Everything in nature is connected. Neurons and blood vessels course through the body interconnecting every single tissue with what is sensed from the external environment. As we breathe, lung tissue connects us to the atmosphere. Seeing and hearing is connection of light and sound to the body via chemical reactions in the tissues of our eyes and ears. Smelling, tasting, and touching similarly put us in contact with our environment. When we feel the wind in our face, the crunch of snow underfoot, listen to a bubbling stream, breathe the aroma of a forest, marvel at the flight of geese in formation, or gaze in awe into the infinite nighttime heavens, we are connecting. Joining with nature is like coming home, harmonizing with the world, connecting to that which is familiar, and touching our very origins.
 
Biophilia speaks to protecting nature, but it is also key to understanding illness. Health is a balance that requires connection to our source of life. There is a direct proportionality. Break the interconnections with nature, and illness will result in lock step. Restore these balances, and physical, mental, and spiritual health is the reward. That does not mean we must return to caves and hunt for food, nor is it sufficient to only turn our face toward the sun during a lunch break in Central Park. It is something in between that we must make a special effort to work into our lives.
 
Nature is a fragile treasure essential to our well-being. We should treat it as such.

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