By Liam Palmer
Basing this experiment on Bill McKibben’s “The Age of Missing Information”, I set out to compare an hour using media versus an hour in a more natural environment with as little technological interruptions as possible. For basically every day, I spend at least an hour using some form of technology, as is the same with most people. For this hour in particular, I decided that I would play a video game. On January 28th, I decided to load up my current favorite game to play to pass the time. This video game is from 2011 and is titled “Skyrim”, which after I loaded up the game I set a timer for an hour. Admittedly, this hour passed by in the blink of an eye. What felt like 5 minutes was truly an hour. This wasn’t exactly surprising, as this is what typically happens with me and distracting myself with a video game. I have deemed this use of technological use as ‘nurture’ simply due to the fact that it’s a fun little play on the biological debate of what is inherently present and what is learned as you grow.
I decided to do both nature and what I have deemed ‘nurture’ on the same day, and after my adventure in Skyrim, I turn off the game and head to my favorite nature walk. This is Neabsco Wetlands Preserve Boardwalk in Woodbridge, Virginia. When I arrive, I turn my phone on silent and set a timer on my tracking watch. I begin my walk. Prior to the start of the boardwalk, there is a dirt pathway spanning about a quarter mile. It’s muddy due to the leftover blizzard from the first week of January, and it’s windy and cold. I notice the fell trees, broken from the weight of the snow. As I approach the boardwalk, the ground gets more wet. Thankfully, there were wooden planks to prevent slipping in the mud puddles. As I walk across the planks to approach the true boardwalk, I notice the thin sheet of ice that had formed on the top of the stagnant water. A few brief moments longer, and I’ve reached the boardwalk. The wetland is a vast span of flowing water and tiny small ponds with spots of land dotting the area. I find a crane, which is in the middle of hunting, and I spend the rest of my hour just observing the crane catch fish and eat its fill. Again, my timer had gone off on my wrist as if it had only been several minutes. I silently bid the crane farewell and returned to the start of the path to leave and warm myself up.
This experiment did not give me something new that I had learned, but rather reminded me to step away from the bustle of anthropogenic influences. I often go on walks uninterrupted to destress from how rapid everything seems to be with technology. For example, the crane I spend most of my time watching moved so slowly to ensure a catch. The patience that the crane showed reminded me that while I am often able to get something I want or need in the blink of an eye, that is not a universal experience. In a way, it’s humbling, and that is not only applicable to other species of animals but rather other people who do not have the privileges of technology and instant gratification that I do.