March 5, 2024

What should life be like? I want to see the difference between the past and the present.（2）

Next, I considered the daily lives of children. Opportunities to interact with nature and friends are decreasing, and I think that this cannot continue from the perspective of human development.

『(In the past) There were children playing outside. There were many animals living there, and we could encounter various creatures, though we also caught insects. The change of seasons was also felt close to us in our daily lives, and we felt the arrival of each season and enjoyed it. It was cold in the winter, and we often warmed ourselves by the bonfires made by our neighbors on the way to school. On the other hand, summer was hot, but not as much as today, and I enjoyed being able to freely go outside and play in nature.
(Today) It seems that children tend to stay inside the house and spend time playing games alone rather than playing outside. The number of siblings in a family has decreased even further. The air outside is not always clean, and children are exposed to various dangers. The risk of heatstroke is also increasing due to global warming. In cities, there are not many insects nearby. The number of children playing outside after school seems to have decreased dramatically. I think they are attending cram school and other lessons from a young age.』

『From the perspective of interacting with nature and friends, aren’t we missing out on many of the important experiences in childhood? Time for play has been cut back, and opportunities to interact with nature and friends are clearly decreasing. I think some kind of countermeasure is needed from the perspective of human development.』