Goose and Gander — Send Our Leaders Outdoors

Why politicians need nature even more than we do

The world is run by old men who spend almost none of their time outdoors. Does anyone else have a problem with that? Among other benefits, time in nature is known to foster prosocial and pro-environmental behavior. Yes, please! Send those nature-deficient coots outdoors to get some sun on their faces and mud on their shoes.

In no other era in human history have leaders lived lives that are so specialized, so protected, so out of touch with nature and with the daily experience of the mass of humanity.

If you lose touch with nature, you lose touch with humanity. — Jiddu Krishnamurti

Out of touch

Americans, in general, spend less than 7 percent of their time outdoors. In other industrialized countries, the situation is much the same. Older Americans spend even less time outdoors than other age groups.

The road to becoming a prominent politician requires years of mind-numbing meetings, hours in offices, days in airports, airplanes, restaurants, and conference halls. It involves all those hours of reaching out to the media and hiding out from the paparazzi.

By the time the typical politician has risen to a position of prominence, he (yes, too often it is a “he”) has spent decades in lavish, highly artificial human-constructed environments — and is totally out of touch with the outdoors.

Are we okay with this in light of Jiddu Krishnamurti’s warning: “If you lose touch with nature, you lose touch with humanity”?

It is often said that those inside the Washington beltway are disconnected from normal daily life. The stories of Obama’s “price of arugula” comment and George H. W. Bush’s amazement at a supermarket barcode scanner have traction because they confirm the truth — our leaders are out of touch. Presidents don’t go to the grocery store, pump gas, or worry about health insurance coverage. It’s more than that. They are out of touch with the world as it is. With nature. With humanity — both theirs and ours.

Arrogance and egomania are easier to sustain when you spend all your time in a controlled indoor environment. Turn up the heat when it’s cold, turn on the lights when it’s dark. Redirect the path of a hurricane with your sharpie. Oops, that last one didn’t work, but nice try anyway.

Pale faces & posers

Well, what about Vladimir Putin? Everyone has seen the photos of Putin outside without a shirt, brandishing a gun, and trying to look manly. But what kind of outdoorsman hunts like that? Try hunting shirtless in Maine. The black flies, mosquitoes, and thornbushes would reduce him to a blubbering, bleeding welt in a matter of minutes.

The truth is, when he does exercise, Putin swims in an indoor pool and plays hockey at an ice rink. Those places don’t even have windows. So when it comes to being an outdoorsman, Putin is a poser. Kind of reminiscent of Trump and his spray-on tan.

People who spend time outside have strong legs, calloused hands, and naturally tanned faces. Photos of U.S. Congresspeople and world leaders reveal few models in those departments.

Biden is looking a little pale these days. Mitch McConnell looks like it’s been decades since he’s been outside for more than a gated-in barbecue. Nancy Pelosi looks like she could benefit from some time on the beach.

Brazilian leader Jair Bolsonaro's legacy is cutting down rainforest. Chinese leader Xi Jinping lives in a city of 21 million and doesn’t have any hobbies related to the outdoors. Justin Trudeau used to spend time kayaking and canoeing but maybe needs a refresher.

Since Teddy Roosevelt, past presidents didn’t do much better. Nixon’s idea of vacation was hiding out at Camp David. George W. Bush’s idea of a good time was killing small trees on his ranch. Clinton’s ADD could have been improved with some outdoor time. Obama brought his family for a two-day vacation on an island in Maine. A longer stay could have made more of a difference. Trump’s idea of going outside was spending time on the golf course, a highly artificial environment where the only natural thing is the sky. And, yes, he was wearing sunglasses.

Arrogance & its cure

Lisa Miller, author of The Awakened Brain states that our culture’s emphasis on achievement needs to be balanced with more “awakened” awareness, which can be cultivated by spending time in nature. Her general diagnosis wasn’t necessarily targeted at certain self-interested politicians. But it could have been. Miller states that our culture’s obsession with achievement and control lead to materialism. Miller then explains that this materialism is ultimately empty and self-perpetuating:

. . .When we live only through our achieving awareness, we develop a perceptual problem. We have a much-inflated sense of control, even as we become disconnected from the heartbeat of everyone around us. This is a lonely, atomistic, and inherently empty way to be. Even having everything can feel like having nothing.

Nature provides a dose of reality that is beneficial for us all, and especially for those in positions of power. Humility. Acceptance. Appreciation. Acknowledging our own mortality. Acting with future generations in mind, and not just for ourselves. These are things nature can teach us.

Leaders lead. If we are asked to forgo the fried ice cream and eat off the food pyramid, we want our leaders to do this as well. Well, there is a nature pyramid now also. It prescribes 30 minutes per day in nearby outdoor spaces, two hours per week in regional parks, one weekend per month in a national park, and a yearly multi-day wilderness experience. Wouldn’t we want our leaders to follow this?

Canada is now providing nature prescriptions. This could be a shortcut to get our President, the Supreme Court, and members of Congress to spend time outside.

Good for the gander

A number of things stack up against our leaders spending quality time outdoors. As stated earlier, they tend to be old. They have lots of stuff to do. They live and serve in large population centers that do not have easy access to wilderness. They have even more excuses than the rest of us for not going outdoors.

In the future, we can use time outdoors as a litmus test for candidates. Can’t you see it as a series of questions in the next Presidential debate? “How much time do you spend outdoors each week?” “How did your most recent awe experience make you feel?”

I’m looking forward to the day when political candidates try to one-up each other in building a fire without a match, foraging for wild greens, and identifying species of migratory songbirds.

Maybe that’s where the nature prescriptions come in. For regular people, it might be enough for the doctor to say, “You need to spend three hours a week outside.” For people who think they are smarter than the rest of us, a prescription provides more of a wake-up call.

What’s good for the goose is good for the gander.

Let’s mandate members of Congress go outside in a large grassy field for a daily recess. There they can learn skills that kids learn — how to share the space, talk to each other, resolve conflicts, and make new friends.

And, of course, we should sign them up for longer excursions to national parks and true wilderness as well.

Many politicians, of course, will protest and say they don’t have time for that. Really? Like members of Congress are now doing anything so constructive with their time?

Elementary school teachers know a secret. Send those turkeys outside for recess. Get more oxygen into their brains. When they come back inside, they’ll be calmer and more clear. They’ll get more stuff done.

With thanks to K. Barrett for the Krishnamurti quote.