Despite the technological and medical advancements of recent history, modern life is fraught with difficulties. It seems that the more we attempt to simplify life, the more complicated it becomes. Our preoccupation with more, bigger, and faster is taking us further and further away from the natural rhythms that once governed human life.
Stress, obesity and mental illnesses seem to be on the rise not just among adults, but among our children as well. A CDC study of US children found that 2 out of 10 children are obese and that there is a direct link between the number of hours spent in front of the t.v. or computer and the amount of body fat.
Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD) has become so common that every child has at least a few classmates that suffer from it. A whopping 90% of children diagnosed with the disorder are prescribed drugs - drugs that interfere with sleep, often cause depression and can retard physical growth by as much as 1/2" per year. (For more on medicating children with mental disorders see my earlier post: Psychiatric Disorders in Children)
There was a time when we rose with the sun, spent our days living and working in the natural world and rested when night fell. In an extremely short period of time (when you consider the entire history of man) we have completely changed our way of living from (Read more...)
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