I am interested in using interpretative methods to understand how people “make meaning” in their life when they spend time in nature. Nature affords us all space and an opportunity for quiet contemplation both of which could help people explore how they make meaning in their life and potentially lead to greater well-being. We can apply the key elements of interpretative methods (Cope & Kalantzis, 2020) to this universal search for meaning in the following manner: every human (agent) has a yearning for meaning (reference) which they could explore by quiet contemplation in nature (structure) within the individual context of their life so that they can arrive at their own understanding of their “meaning of life” (interest). While nature in and of itself may not render one with a “meaning of life”, the quietness and potential to experience “oneness” with the human and the more-than-human world could provide the vessel in which to search for meaning and well-being. The video below provides a vivid and beautiful example of how time in nature can impact an individual’s state of mind and well-being, both of which are likely to play a role in one’s search for the meaning of life.

WWF International: (2019, Oct 10). Why we can all benefit from spending more time in nature. YouTube.

Here is to hoping more of us spend more time in nature as we continue our search for meaning and well-being!

References:

Cope, Bill and Mary Kalantzis, 2020, Making Sense: Reference, Agency and Structure in a Grammar of Multimodal Meaning, Cambridge UK: Cambridge University Press.

Media:

WWF International (2019, October 10). Why we can all benefit from spending more time in nature. [Video]. YouTube.