70's vibe

I recently came across this lovely short film by Jim Henson. It's a four minute, low-tech holiday back to a simpler time.

See it here.

Sweet nostalgia for the public television ideals that were in favour when I was young. And for the notion of playing outside...seriously, can kids even run like that anymore?

I have been thinking a lot about nature deficit in children (officially called nature-deficit disorder, like we need another disorder). My children are lucky to have nature at their doorstep and parents who take them out to experience it daily, but our situation is unique to our geography. For kids who live in more urban environments there are serious consequences associated with their lack of exposure to nature; chief among them are lack of confidence, self worth and sense of life purpose. How can we expect people to comprehend the need to protect an environment that is foreign to them?

There are times when I feel so optimistic about the future of humanity. I see that there are smart, motivated and passionate people driving the forces of change. But, if I am feeling more realistic, I also see the real truth which is, we're probably f***ed. 7 billion of us...there is no way to sustain that.

Again, to reiterate, I need to take a break from speculative fiction ;) Bring on the chic-lit.