Technology Should Never Replace Nature in Our Lives

As we head into the holiday weekend, I am boarding Delta flight 1927 from chilly Detroit to sunny Sarasota with my wife and kids. I sit down next to my boys Hunter and River and my wife Nadine sits with Fischer.

Before I finish stuffing the coats into the overhead compartment, Hunter and River both belt out, “Dad, where are the iPads?” I roll my eyes and hand them the tablets.

Looks like I’m using my laptop on this flight, I think to myself, oh well, so much for Zero Dark Thirty. As I look down at my iPhone, I say to myself, Yikes, we have become total tech toy addicts!

Now don’t get me wrong, as the founder of Outdoor Hub, the world’s leading outdoor media company online, I have nothing against technology–in fact I love it! However, as awesome as technology is, it should never replace or destroy our attachment to nature. It is within nature that we can slow down and take a moment of calm, a moment of presence. How many of us do not need a little more presence in our lives? Being outdoors has a way of restoring our soul.

I love nature and I immerse my kids in it every chance I get. My family knows what nature does to restore my soul, they see how excited I become and how aware I am when I am in nature. In this ADD-crazed partial-attention society we live in, they get to see their dad in his element. They can sense how present I am there with them, unlike too many times where I am sneaking looks at my iPhone before I put them to bed, or as I am watching a tee ball practice. I wish I could say I’m not guilty of these things, but I am, and that is more the reason why I hit the woods, or a lake, or a field with them for a relaxing walk every chance I get.

My action item for you this holiday weekend is to take some time with your family or whomever you are with and get your butts outdoors. Take a few minutes to sit by a big tree, stroll through the woods, or sit somewhere and gaze at a pretty view, a park perhaps. Leave the phones, the tablets, the laptops, and any other gadgets and be one with nature. When we take to Mother Nature in this way she has a way of providing us the ultimate return on investment by raising our state of presence and recharging our batteries, it’s just plain good for the soul!

Much love, and have an awesome holiday all! If you’ve got one to share, tell me a story about how checking into nature recharged your batteries.

David Farbman

The only thing typical about my life is the non-typical nature that I appear to live in. I firmly believe in the natural order of the world, and I find that this belief helps to navigate me through life, business, and relationships, resonating with my soul. I am in flow with nature and the universe in this way. I blog in an effort to pass on a message about the connections between nature, hunting, and life. Within that realm lies an authentic, clearer path to universal connectivity that I try to live in. The answers to many of our desired outcomes can be found there. My desired outcome is to successfully pass on the ideas, wisdom, and karma that come to me because of my connection with nature and the universe. As this script unfolds in my life, I want to share and help others while adding to the greater good of the world. Many people claim this, but I truly mean it and I bring it into action every day I am on this earth--or at least I sure try. I learned to hike, camp, canoe, horseback ride, fish, and sling arrows at a very young age. A spiritual connection with the outdoors came to me as a little boy and the power of this connection has greatly increased over my lifetime. As a hyper-active person since birth, nature has always settled me down and focused me in while helping me tap into thoughts and ideas that exist within the ether. By thinking, feeling and then willing something to happen after first opening our minds and our vision in a neutral state, we can achieve that which is otherwise unthinkable. I turned 40 years old last October and this past year has served as my catalyst year to promote change. I am in a process of self-actualization as I try to live present in each moment of each day. As part of this process, certain feelings must be turned into actions and done so with complete authenticity. I often write thoughts that come to me and in turn help others--and I believe the greatest return in life is to successfully give. I founded Outdoor Hub in 2007 along with a talented bunch of people and together we created something special. For as long as I can remember I have dreamed of doing something that would help to grow the outdoors and grow hunting--earning it the respect it deserves amongst those who choose not to hunt. I am so excited to be on this journey and I invite you into the field, to climb up a tree, to crawl through the swamps and be one with nature together. Thank you for joining me, the hunt is on...