Reimagining ‘outside’
What does it mean to be ‘outside’?
Questions have been circling in my head for some time on what it means to be ‘outside’.
Being ‘outside’ is regularly framed as escapism, a switching off. I think that’s wrong, it’s the opposite.
To me when we are ‘outside’, we are not simply unplugging from the modern western way of being, we are plugging into more natural way of being. We are switching on.
Switching on to being present to the world around us
Switching on to seeing life generating all around us
Switching on to being connected to nature and not separate
Dod yn ôl at fy nghoed
Our current western way of being, the industrial growth mindset, is predicated on assuming infinite growth, competition, ignoring boundaries, individualism and egocentricity. It is fast paced, fuelled by information overload and hijacked attention.
This way of being, a story we tell ourselves about ourselves, manifests at the individual level (e.g. personal ill-health) and collective level (e.g. planetary -ill-health). It is the paradigm from which our current culture lives from.
It is the reason we pursue the myth of infinite growth on finite planet.
It is the reason we seek to solve the climate crisis by digging more mines and planting more monocultures.
It is the reason we prioritise consumption and accumulation over wellbeing and health.
Nature doesn’t work like this. Nature operates on the basis of cyclical growth and retreat, respects boundaries and is collectivist — a ‘natural cycle society-mindset’. It is slower, fuelled by awareness.
To me when we are outside we are exposed to this way of being through our subconscious. We slow down, become present to what’s happening around us, cut through the information overload, focus on our health and shift perspectives. I recently came across this wonderful Welsh phrase that captures this so well: “dod yn ôl at fy nghoed” meaning “to return to a balanced state of mind”, which literally translates as “to return to my trees”.
When we are outside, we’re not merely unplugging from the stress of modern western life. We are plugging into how it feels to live life in a more natural way — as nature does. More than that, I believe we are also starting to reconfigure our wiring.
Going outside is really going inside.
Living the change
“No problem can be solved from the same level of consciousness that created it” Einstein
I’ve spent a lot of time ‘outside’ but only in the last few months have I really observed how I live my life and how nature operates. Here are a few examples of the change going on:
Relations — Moving away from ego and the individualised mindset that our competitive story incentivises, thinking I have the answers and responsibility to do ‘everything’, towards a mindset that values collaboration and cocreation with others — as nature works through networks and operates as a system.
Slowing — More awareness of the noise around me and how modern-day information overload hijacks my attention and self. Stepping out of the machines to focus on what really matters (see next example) and having boundaries, as nature does.
Health — Realising that if I don’t serve my own health, I’m failing to live the change and equally I’m just stuck in the system. Working too much affects how I see the world, how I interact with others and how I live authentically to me. Nature’s goal is to achieve systemic health and create to conditions for life, aligning my purpose to this Vs ‘solve climate crises’ has helped me step away from unhealthy behaviours and focus on what matters — personal and collective health.
Experiments — Re-finding my agency through experimentation and less stress about how it will feel and what others will think. Evolving like nature does through constant experimentation
What if?
Us outdoor folk have a connection to nature, without really realising it. What if we did realise it? What if we collectively lived that question? What if we used our connection to nature for purpose?
Instead of going out with a mindset of switching off, what if we flipped that on its head and knowingly went out to switch on and self-organised around that purpose.
What if we knowingly used the power of nature connection through our passions outside, to shift consciousness and realise our connection to nature?
What if we helped enable humanity to reassess its presence on planet earth?
To me this is the ‘new story’ for us, the outdoor community, this is how we play our role in the critical decade.
Let’s run with it! Let’s also surf with it, ride with it, climb with it, swim with it etc etc
An invitation
I know there is deep power in nature connection and potential in the outdoor community.
It’s already happening, like Trash Free Trails’s Trash Mob programme that combines nature connection with mountain biking to build mental health in young people who need it most and inspire nature stewardship at the same time, TYF who work to inspire change(makers) through the power of play on the coast and Lucy Loveday who works to fix the broken healthcare system by putting nature and nature’s wisdom at its heart.
This feels like important work, and will be part of me going forwards for the long term.
In the near term, I want to give platform to this idea and share the stories of those already living the question — of how can we reimagine what it means to be outside and use nature connection purposefully in the 21st century.
