Waldeinsamkeit

  Waldeinsamkeit

     While Judy walked past the local park, she could smell the aromatic fragrance of peonies and lilacs, which filled the yard of her childhood home. 

     She remembered her childhood when nature was a source of comfort for her. The memories of rising at sunrise and running outside to spend the day came back clearly. Swimming, rolling in the grass, wading in the creek, and climbing trees were great stress relievers. 

     Summer meant a picnic at Uncle John's lake cabin, always filled with sunshine, fresh air, and exercise. She had great memories of her great grandfather John T Imgrund, born in Essen, Germany, telling stories about waldeinsamkeit, a tradition that means finding peace in the woods. The word combines "wald," meaning forest, and "einsamkeit," meaning loneliness or solitude. Like all Germans, 

John valued his privacy. He spent this vital time in the community forest of Krup Park, which was close to his home. 

     John would always start his story by telling us his reasons for his love of the woods. The number one reason was to find tranquility. Krupp Park is a public green space with playgrounds, rest areas, and viewpoints. He recalled the hours of fun that he enjoyed with his friends. They would ride bikes, hike, sit, and enjoy the peace that Krup park offered.

     When referring to the "solitude of the forest," the Bavarian Forest, the largest forest in Europe, comes to mind. The forest measures 241 square kilometers. The motto of this park is; to let nature be nature. Human intervention is not allowed in this park, and this park has several adventure trails. ‘Seelensteig’, the ‘Aufichtenwaldsteg’ below Rachel, the ‘Natur-Erlebnis-Pfad’ within the forest playground Spiegelau, the ‘Windwurf-Erlebnispfad’ at Falkenstein, the ‘Erlebnisweg Schachten und Filze’ at Frauenau, or the adventure trail through the native forest area ‘Hans-Watzlik-Hain’ at Zwieslerwaldhaus.

     Judy also remembered his story about Holzäcker Hoff, who had a great love for peonies. He had over 5 hectares of peonies, which grew over half a million stems of high quality.

      She remembered the positive energy the scent and color that peonies gave her. Besides giving positive vibes, there are the Phytoncides, airborne chemicals that plants give off to protect themselves from insects. Phytoncides have antibacterial and antifungal qualities, which help plants fight disease. When people breathe in these chemicals, our bodies respond by increasing the number and activity of a type of white blood cell called natural killer cells or NK. These cells kill tumor- and virus-infected cells in our bodies.  

     Mutualism, an example of the human-honeyguide relationship, is a fantastic example of these partnerships. The wild honeyguides recruit people with a demanding call, indicating that they have found a bee nest. The honey-hunting human replied with calls passed down through generations and followed the bird. When they reach the nest, the humans subdue the bees with smoke, break into the nest and help themselves to the sugar-rich honey.

     To deal with over-stressed workers, rehabilitation programs like the Kur, now part of a complex system of rehabilitation medicine utilizing medical bathing and environmental stimuli, focus on a process of therapeutic mindfulness, a concept not unlike Heidegger's Dasein. Even just a few hours of wandering can reprogram the brain into an almost evolutionary level of awareness. 

     Mindfulness is about eliminating distractions, particularly stressful distractions. It is very popular with high-powered people and has a cross-generational appeal.

     Hiking alone in forests helps reduce stress by lowering blood pressure and cortisol levels, enhancing the body's immune system. When coupled with mindfulness techniques, those who spent time in the woods performed intellectual tests more quickly and effectively.

     Immersing oneself in nature was practiced by Henry David Thoreau. I lived in a cabin near Walden Pond for two years, two months, and two wrote about the fresh air, the vibrant colors, and the silence with just the sounds of the forest. By immersing himself in nature, Thoreau hoped to gain an understanding of society through personal introspection. He also aspired to live self-sufficiently, inspired by his transcendental philosophy. 

     Judy spends time in her garden, the local park, and tree-lined streets called urban and community forests. Climate change has caused record heat waves and severe drought, which has damaged 30 percent of the older beech trees. They estimate that nearly 50,000 beech trees, which were more than a century old, have been damaged. 

     Nearly half of Germany's forests are privately owned, and so many trees' deaths are an existential crisis. People who hike in the woods are afraid that branches will fall on their heads while they are in the woods. Reforestation and the introduction of drought-resistant tree species are not a solution because they can be expensive and take decades. No guarantee is that even oaks, which tolerate drought better, will do well.

      Fire and a bark beetle infestation are also adding to the problems. Over the past two years, there has been a nearly six-fold jump in trees destroyed by pests. Only 21% of trees had an intact canopy. Germany needs their trees and forests in Germany: as climate protection, habitats for diverse fauna and flora, air and water purifiers, carbon dioxide reservoirs, employers, or as recreation for humans. 

     Climate changes cause temperatures to rise at an alarming rate. Climate change has caused the earth's systems that we've come to rely on for everything from agriculture to transportation to shift in a costly, life-threatening, and global way. The Industrial Revolution, which began in the 1760s, directly connects to a measurable spike in releasing greenhouse gases into the atmosphere. This increase would have taken over thousands of years if not for human activity. This balance is referred to as the Goldilocks Effect because the composition of gasses in the earth's atmosphere has been "just right" to sustain life as we know it.

     In the last three decades, we have emitted almost half of the total CO2 emissions since the industrial revolution. These emissions have caused wildfires, more intense hurricanes, and rivers and lakes to dry up. 

We have started to address this issue by creating electric cars. Electric cars will be a better solution for all of us as gas prices keep increasing. We need to start working to save our forests and lakes and keep these things around so we can still practice Waldeinsamkeit.