March 6, 2024

What should life be like? I want to see the difference between the past and the present.（3）

We are losing touch with the scenery of the four seasons and the nature around us. We also don’t see children playing outside as energetically as we used to. Hasn’t the better life that humanity has sought so far ended up altering nature and making the world a more difficult place to live in? In this environment, there seems to be an invisible pressure on children, which worries me.

『(In the past) When I was a child, I was exposed to many living things in Ito and Nasu, which I visited almost every year during long vacations. Even in Tokyo, where I lived, there were still fields and vacant lots nearby, and there were caterpillars, many butterflies flying, and the birds would sometimes sing so loudly that I would become aware of their calls. Sparrows, swallows, and tanagers could be seen and heard in their respective seasons. Nature was everywhere within reach, so it was fun to observe various things while playing outside.
(Today) In the city where I live, except for the parks, where there is a certain amount of greenery, the area is covered with asphalt, and houses are lined up closely around it. I don’t hear the birds’ calls very often anymore. You also hardly hear the sounds of insects. Unless we go to the countryside, it seems that opportunities to get in touch with nature have been drastically reduced. The stars are almost invisible at night due to lighting. As mentioned earlier, we don’t see many children playing outside anymore. One reason for this may be the worsening security situation and the fact that children are making noise and getting complaints from neighbors.』

『We are no longer able to encounter scenes that we once took for granted, such as the scenery of the four seasons, contact with nature close to home, and children playing energetically outside. As someone who knows what it was like in the past, I feel very lonely.』