A Thought-provoking Conference

Every year, Pauline and I are blessed to attend either a conference of the North American Montessori Teachers Association (NAMTA) or a refresher course of the Association Montessori Internationale (AMI). This year, it was a NAMTA conference in Seattle. The theme was nature. The keynote speaker was conservation biologist Tom Wessels who is currently a professor at Antioch University at New England. The title of his address was "From Consumption to Connection: Why Well-Being is Grounded in Vibrant Connections to Nature, Community and Self." It is interesting to note, by the way, that this brilliant and learned man did not learn to read and write until the 4th grade.

Dr. Wessels brought to our attention the nature-deprived state of our nation and its children, citing study after study showing that a disconnection from nature makes one more apt to have ADD or ADHD, as well as a propensity for bullying and aggression. He is something of an amateur anthropologist and he spoke at length of an ancient people whose name I didn't quite catch who lived long ago in the harsh and unforgiving Pinacate Desert. Dr. Wessels described this area as the most inhospitable place on earth. It is dryer and hotter than Death Valley and large areas are covered in weird volcanic glass that will shred your brand new hiking boots after just one day. Apparently, these long-ago peoples traversed this landscape barefoot!

Despite the environmental conditions they had to survive, Dr. Wessels surmised that these were a contented people. The anthropological record showed that they had a consistent reflective (spiritual) practice, a connection to nature so deep we can scarcely conceive it, traditions passed down from generation to generation and a profound connection to each other (community). We human beings are still hard-wired to need these four practices of reflection, connection to nature, traditions and community-building, but over the millenia we have deprived ourselves of them more and more.

10,000 years ago, humans changed from hunter/gatherers to farmers. Families became more able to provide for themselves and our dependence on the entire tribe (hunters, weavers, gatherers, healers) lessened. We became more focused on our own families and less on the larger community. We became more hierarchical and distanced ourselves from nature as we no longer spent our days out hunting and gathering like our animal brothers and sisters. During the industrial revolution, we became more mobile and began distancing ourselves physically from our own families. The average American currently moves every 3.6 years. We have lost our deep attachment to place. Now technology grants us little or no time for reflection. We have all the information we can handle, but no time to reflect and understand. This is the state we find ourselves in today. Understanding is vastly different from mere knowledge. Knowledge and understanding must be balanced. Facts alone are deadening. Understanding is fulfilling and satisfying, but it requires time to deepen. This is why religious scholars can spend their lives poring over, digesting and understanding one sacred text alone. We can always deepen our understanding given that precious reflective time.

We modern humans, lacking a connection to nature, to community, to a reflective practice and to our ancestor's traditions are sick and deprived. How do we console, soothe and medicate ourselves? Consumption. Consumption of material goods, food, mind-altering substances, etc is meant to make us feel fulfilled, but it never will no matter what Madison Avenue would have us think. This conference was, for me, a real eye-opener. I started thinking of all the people in my life who would have benefited from hearing the keynote address. The list got longer and longer until I realized that I wanted everyone on the planet to be exposed to the ideas of this fantastic speaker, Tom Wessels. They were new to me and I am grateful to have this opportunity to pass them along to you.

Best regards,
Doni