Pokémon: A NATURAL Phenomenon?

This is a nature blog, however, just this once I ask for indulgence.  I’ll get to why this pertains to nature in a bit.  If you own a smart phone, you probably already know about a new phenomenon called Pokémon Go.  If you do not own one of these devices, or you do not “play” online games on your phone, or you live in a cave, you probably are as confused as I have been this last week.  

With my family on vacation in the Mid-West, I was surrounded by people walking and talking while holding their cell phones out in front of themselves.  Now, this is not totally unusual, that is a sight you can see every day, anywhere.  But you may have noticed MORE people doing this lately. 

This is because of the new game, Pokémon Go.  Everywhere you go, they are there, 21 million walking cell-zombies paying attention only to what is on their small screens.  What are they doing?  Chasing, finding and capturing Pokémon characters placed in real-world locations using GPS. 

They even talk a different language.  “Hey I evolved my Rattata into a Raticate, but I keep seeing a zillion Rattatas.  Oh, I see, I need to evolve them for XP!”  Or this, “I did a twelve candy Pidgey evolution and got 1000 XP!”

What does it mean?  If you spend a little time with a Pokémon user, you will learn some of the lingo. But, I am not writing this to help people learn about Pokémon, I really do have a point about how it can become a natural phenomenon.

To some of these people, this is a real competition, and they are risking their lives in search of these finds.  Police departments and other authorities across the country, including the National Parks Association, are issuing warnings because public safety is at risk at times.  A number of people have been injured while playing the game, due to failure to pay attention to their surroundings. Yesterday at the St. Louis Zoo, people were asked (in fun) to stop playing Pokémon before boarding the train!

How does all this pertain to nature?  Now I will get to that.  What I see is opportunities.  Opportunities for people who generally stayed inside hooked on electronic devices to get out and interact with natural surroundings. Pokémon are found everywhere, including parks and outdoor recreational areas.  I see opportunities for fitness.  Pokémon requires walking, literally, to “hatch” the eggs of the creature they seek.  And finally, I see opportunities for the public to learn more about issues related real plants and animals. 

Studies are already being done to see if similar games can be built around the Pokémon concept to get people out there in search of real species. Imagine a similar game that helps people learn about preserving our pollinators.  Can you see a game where people learn to identify bird species?  And finally, imagine a game that sends people in search of endangered species where they learn about the habitats they require.

Engaging the public in learning more about issues related to real plants and animals and biodiversity really appeals to us naturalists.  So before you condemn those 21 million cell-zombies for getting in your way and clogging up our natural areas, re-think it.  What if 21 million people began caring for our world?  Oh what a force that would be!  It’s a start, and I will end this blog on that hopeful note.  I feel a need for a walk.  I have to hatch an egg.

ARE YOU READY FOR A WALK?

I love the word “saunter.”  Saunter.  It rolls out of the mouth slow and mellow.  In his essay, Walking, Henry David Thoreau suggested there is an art to taking a walk; that is learning to saunter.  To saunter may feel to some to indicate the activity of a vagabond – a homeless person roaming from place to place. Thoreau suggested that to saunter, or “go forth on the shortest walk” should be an adventure and a crusade.  In his eyes, those who sit in their houses all the time are the vagrants.

 “I love to think of nature as an unlimited broadcasting station [in] which God speaks to us every hour, if we will only tune in.”  George Washington Carver

Many people have never thought much about tuning in to nature, but learning to do this is not difficult.  Our lives are so busy with obligations and fast - paced social networking activities, it is easy to sit inside and ignore nature.  Forcing yourself to take time for a walk outside is how you tune into nature. 

In spring and summer the world is full of green things.  The color green is said to be gentle on the eyes.  Is it a coincidence that God made so much green at a time of year that encompasses the newness of the earth?  In fall and winter, the colors are much different.  Fall yellows, oranges and reds are inspiring and comforting.  Winter whites and blues may seem drab, but these colors in nature evoke calmness.

You don’t have to find a solitary location or official hiking trail to enjoy the peace of nature.  It can be found in your backyard, on a street corner, or in a local park.  The trick, as Thoreau puts it, is to free ourselves from all worldly engagements.  He points out that legs are not made to sit upon, but to walk upon.

When I walk or hike, I am on a crusade; a crusade to find the best part of nature, the ultimate spot in the wild, and peace.  When I find it, I suck it into my heart so I will never forget it. 

Walking for me is direct contact with God, and this contact leads me to answers and solutions in my life. I agree with Anne Frank when she said, “The best remedy for those who are afraid or unhappy is to go outside.  Somewhere where they can be quiet and alone with the heavens, nature and God.  Because only then does one feel that all is as it should be and that God wishes to see people happy amidst the simple beauty of nature.”

According to Thoreau, to become a walker requires a “direct dispensation from heaven,” and he challenges those he feels are not fit to take a walk.  I don’t know if he was serious when he said this, “If you are ready to leave father and mother, and brother and sister, and wife and child and friends, and never see them again – if you have paid your debts, and made your will, and settled all your affairs, and are a free man – then you are ready for a walk.”  It  sounds like he was challenging us, saying not everyone could become a walker.

So, are you ready to go for a walk?  I hope so. Get out there and enjoy your natural surroundings, find peace, and defy Mr. Henry David Thoreau!