Natural

Natural.  One of my favorite words.  Half of the name of my store, my livelihood.  My goal in life is to be Natural in all things, or at least as much as I can given the world I find myself in.  It is defined as: "Existing in or caused by nature; not made or caused by humankind." To "be" natural, then, is oxymoronic from the start.... But as humans we are certainly caused by nature.  I will not go down the religious/spiritual/evolutionary path, but I think that most would agree that we belong on this earth and were brought here naturally (except for those who were a product of artificial insemination or "invitro," or any other form of medically aided birth... not that I am anti any of that... both of my children were brought into the world with significant help from the miracle of modern medicine.... ) ok back to the topic at hand. So once we are here and standing on the earth, how can we be true to our nature?  How can we be true to the earth and the nature that surrounds us? Here are some thoughts: -Consume less.  Less food, less fuel, less goods and services... as a retailer I shouldn't say this of course, but in nature it comes down to necessity.  Take what you need and leave the rest. -"Tabula Rasa".  Start with a clean slate- yourself naked, standing on planet earth.  What do you NEED to add to this and for what purpose?  Being "natural" means only adding things into your life that nature/survival would require.  As a propopent of minimalism and footwear alike,  I like to use the shoe example of this- what are you putting on/under your feet today?  Why?  There are good, logical answers to this, and there are others that don't make as much sense...  there should be a function and a purpose. -Energy- this ties in with the first- Meet the world where it is at, but do not simply yield to the machine of human progress.  Can you run to work?  Can you walk to the store?  Can you do without the lights on right now?  Do you need plastic in your life?  Is your home "green" and efficient? -MOVE- Natural Human states: Walking, Running, Sprinting, Squatting, Climbing, Crawling, Lifting, Carrying, Swimming, Lying, Sleeping. Unnatural Human States:  Standing still (for longer than a few moments), Sitting in a chair, Sitting in a car, Sitting on a bike, Peddling a bike, staring at a bright light... Well, there is now plenty of indisputable evidence showing the negative physical effects of inactivity, but now we are starting to see more evidence for the negative mental effects of being too stationary-  http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/10/24/brain-health-exercise_n_2006607.html  The human brain was built to think in motion.  We are designed to hunt and gather- finding food and water has kept our species intact for millions of years.  To think clearly and have a healthy mind, we must MOVE.  Once you have decided to move as much as your life will allow, the question becomes: how to do it most naturally?  Is driving to a gym and riding a stationary bike inside a building with bright lights the way to go?  How about moving through the woods on your own two feet?  If you can't make that happen, what is the closest approximation in your world? -WATER- drink it.  It is found in nature cold and unfiltered. Rather than ripping down "8 glasses a day,"  drink...... well, when you are thirsty.  Drinking anything other than water is not natural. -PLANTS- We are surrounded by them.  Many of them edible.  Animals are not and have never been as plentiful or easy to find/catch.   If human nature is the path of least resistance, then we should be eating (primarily) things that grow in the earth and are/were there for the taking in nature.  Science has shown that for the vast majority of our existence, our ancestors obtained meat by running for hours on end, chasing prey until it collapsed.  We also scavenged and ate what we could find from recent kills... both forms of obtaining meat would yield occasional results.  The daily feed was and should be now from plants.  Eating meat occasionally is probably natural.  Daily?  Not so much.  Meat that is ground up or processed and then frozen and unfrozen..... definitely not.  Even with fruits and vegetables, we must be wary of the amount of manhandling our foods have been through.  Ask yourself- what has happened to the food I am about to eat prior to me eating it? So there is some food for thought. Hope this finds everyone well.