The burned down Rancho House was one of the oldest buildings in Isla Vista, likely built around 1956. The house was a hidden secret amongst Isla Vistans where people would gather for events.
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Then Again
Like the ceremonial rite of passage from ancient civilizations and worldwide throughout various cultures, solitary time spent in nature hungry and alone ignites a deep connection from within to the vast outer world.
I can still hear the sound of my footsteps crunching on the pine needles as a 13-year-old walking to my much-anticipated eighth grade outdoor education solo site. My teacher pointed out my boundaries and then quietly disappeared into the forest, leaving me alone on the mountainside for the next 24 hours.
For the first time in my life, I was all alone.
Once my human instincts to survey, stake claim or manipulate the natural environment had subsided, I began to explore the sensory experience. At first I listened hard for the sounds of others, only to become aware of how much the silencing of human life provided an opening to the sounds of nature. Before long, that space between mind and body became more distinct.
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Then Again
It is probably better to have a childhood filled with imagination, scrapes and bruises than one filled with apps and “likes.” I feel lucky that when I was a kid, being “social” meant going outside and finding friends in person, not adding them on Facebook.
So I especially appreciate the “I’m Off Social Media Challenge” that Aspen Middle School is encouraging this week.
This year, students don’t have designated, no-phones-allowed outdoor education sessions to provide their annual social media reprieve.
For some students that is their only annual break. In past years, they’ve expressed to their teachers how different they feel when freed from the social media ecosystem, even if only for a week.