And there is something more in her little book, something that reaches far beyond the ability of a child to enjoy nature. It has to do with us, the adults, and how we become alienated from the world around us. Interacting with children can mean restoring our own sense of wonder. Exploring nature with your child is largely a matter of becoming receptive to what lies all around you. It is learning again to use your eyes, ears, nostrils and fingertips, opening up the disused channels of sensory impression.
Today there is much talk of virtual reality.
I realize its significance, but I am often concerned about its applications. Too often I see children using computers not to enhance their experience of nature, but to replace it with something synthetic. Too often I hear young people talk as if they have trouble relating to a world before the advent of computing. Instead of bringing people together, the virtual consciousness may be dividing us into isolated units, able to relate to one another only through the abstract mechanism of email. It's not hard to guess.