h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Entry: Getting Back To Nature - A839900
Author: Neri Aracro - U190807

Getting back to nature by Neri Aracro for the benefit of mankind. Enjoy and don't be too harsh, I am a fragile human being.

Hello again NA!

There appear to be two distinct strands to this entry:

1) our surroundings as a mirror of our inner selves; and

2) enjoying nature.

Neither are well explored, so I think you have a couple of options. You could either concentrate on the first, which would mean changing the title, or you could concentrate on the second, which would mean expanding on other ways of getting back to nature, which might include stuff like the change of pace from city/town to country life, ie slowing down, things to appreciate in and about the country, activities to do, such as bird watching, stalking (animals and birds, not humans), watching particular animals, eg foxes or badgers. You might also include what clothing to wear and how to prepare for being in nature.

You could have equal weighting on both subjects. Both would need expanding on.

In short, I think this entry needs rather more than there is in it.

Have a think about it and if you need more suggestions, just ask.

There, it wasn't too harsh, was it?

I am very hurt. I feel like a melting snowflake, a shrivelling rose, a shattered mirror falling to the ground, grieved by none and swept, tiresomely, under the dusty rug.

Only joking! You weren't too harsh at all; in fact I am actually looking for more material to put in ie. turning observation of nature into practical action etc.

Cheers for the advice!

From Neri Aracro

When I scrolled down and saw 'I am very hurt!' I thought 'Oh, No' - then I saw the rest.

I think it's a good subject. I was going to do a bit about the first American's way of being in nature, which is to use what they call wide angle vision. It's a kind of softening of the gaze, which means that:

1) you are more aware of everything that moves - it's something to do with using the rods more than the cones in your eye'; and

2) what you are observing will be less aware of you. This is to do with energy coming out of your eyes when you are focussed on something - a bit like being aware if someone is staring at you intently.

Let us know when you have made your amendments.

Hi, I have begun to make amendments and I also have begun to believe in the power of prayer.

I have heard of that gazing thing as well. Its used as a meditation for psychics and Native Americans, I think. The rods in the eye are responsible for picking up things in dim light and the cones are used to pick up colour. Therefore, if you gaze straight ahead, the brain may not want to be bombarded with colour, and so it switches to rods only, making you more sensitive to movement.

This is my hypothesis anyway, I study biology but I would still ask a professional about it.

Did you see "Tomorrow's World" when Katie Knapman tested out the theory of whether we know when we are being stared at. She only got one good result ie. someone turned round and saw her, however it may be due to the fact that the person being stared at was looking around for something.

Cheers anyway.

From Neri Aracro

Was the Tomorrow's World thing quite a long time ago? I have a vague memory of it and I do not watch that much TV at all these days, so it can't have been recently.

The wide angle vision is a softening of the gaze. I understand that store detectives use it too! The technique I was taught came from Apache teaching and may be quite a common stalking and hunting technique. It's also apparently useful in finding things if you've dropped something in a field, say.

The prayer thing was something that happened with my dad. It was a mixture of prayer and affirmation together with a neighbour's help that saved his life.

Let us know when you've made the changes.

Hello To All Of My Peers/Critics/Jealous Rivals ,

The piece has a new title and extra material but I still need to know how to take it from here.

Re-read it and then post suggestions to me!

Cheers.

From Neri Aracro

What a lovely entry. I don't know that it's guide quality just yet, but it's so peaceful and relaxing... very nice.

I'd title it more like "Know Thyself with Nature", but I'm pretentious like that...

There was a neat 'animal in you' quiz online I liked, but the site seems to be down...

Nice work, anyway
-Lucinda

Hi Neri,

I agree. I love this as it is, really. Personally, i think the intro works very well to relax the reader into a more thoughtful, perhaps even more open-minded state.

Indeed, i'd say you succeed in the first section in *actually* taking (well, this reader) 'back to nature', if only in my mind's eye. That is already an achievement.

But then you take (again, this reader) by surprise, asking us to take that thought and turn it on ourselves. A very interesting direction to take.

Well, i don't know how you are on the EG and the guidelines and all that malarkey, but i for one would be sorry to see this carved up and pigeon-holed to fit the edited guide (as i see it).

The Post is the place that this kind of 'non-EG but great' material often ends up, and if you'd like to, i'd find a slot for it there.

In fact, i'd like to put it in a column we do there, so this is kind of asking for permission, as much as anything.

You wouldn't have to take it out of PR - on the contrary, keep it in where it may get read until someone asks you to do otherwise.

all of which is just my thoughts, no advice; just thanks for a great read!

cya
spiff

Anyone know where this one is going, as of now? Are there still thoughts of making it more EG-type? Or is Neri happy with it the way it is, and wants to go another route?

Just doing some PR cleaning....


Mikey

Any thoughts on moving this back to the entry?

Mikey