I think after 25 years of life, my brain has been giga-fried by the internet. It’s hard to tell when exactly it happened, but I’ve had a sneaking suspicion that it’d been the case for a bit. It likely started with my “indifference to nature” take. I chalked this up to being Chicago born and raised, but I’ve met plenty of city folk who’ll still travel for the sake of “exploring the great outdoors.”
I lived in Colorado for two and a half years and went to Iceland for 10 days last May. I still have my 60 liter backpack and “ultralight” camping gear. I went to a YMCA summer camp in Michigan where we lived in cabins in the woods (RIP Camp Pinewood). Soothe to say, I don’t think it’s a “lack of trying” that makes me averse to nature. It’s gotta be some psychological thing. There’s this thing that other people get where they look at a cool rock or mountain, landscape and it sparks awe in them. They’re just awash with beauty and it’s overwhelming them with emotion. I don’t really get this, the difference between seeing the Google Images photo of the landscape and being “actually there” is marginal.
I jokingly say that I would be perfectly comfortable just being a pod person. That’s not entirely true though. I realized when visiting Osaka, Japan that you can indeed “go too urban.” Concrete blocks everywhere and minimal greenery, a deathly combo for me. But if you have one curated park with nice grass and some trees, I’m a happy camper. I’d imagine that the awe that I get from looking at beautiful urban design: buildings, bridges, parks, etc is what these nature lovers get from the natural structures of their mountains, hills, and rocks. Literally every time I’m back in Chicago, I’m in awe of the it’s man-made beauty. I’m like, “how lucky am I to have been born in one of the great world cities.” I get the same feelings traveling to any great city really. Boston, Montreal, Tokyo, Paris, I just love cities man.
The credit I give nature is that backpacking, camping, and having to shit in a hole give me a greater appreciation for modernity. After a long trip away from home in the great outdoors, damn do I love plumbing. There’s a part of me that wants to believe that all the nature-lovers are simply coping. That it’s so obviously that city living is just better.
Modern camping is literally nothing like what our ancestors did. Your gear is made in a factory for fucks sake. It’s like the Disneyland of “experiencing nature.” And thank god for that, much safer than the alternative (another win for modern technology). I just hope that people are actually going for the amusement park-like fun of the journey and not to post it to Instagram for clout. Do things that you actually enjoy and not things that you think you’re suppose to be enjoying. To this end, I’m very upfront about my indifference to nature. If you invite me to a camping trip, I’m game, but it’s because I like you and know it’ll be a fun trip with friends.
I also love to see the joy on others faces at the sight of nature. That Iceland trip would’ve been totally lost on me if I were to go solo. My friend planned the most ideal trip for nature-lovers and she was near tears seeing all of it. It’s like when a parent gets inspired by seeing their child experience the simple joys of life for the first time. That’s what makes it all worth it to me.