ABSTRACT
We live in a world of accelerating pace. We have learned to react in more automated ways to situations, and the benefit is that we get more things done. The downside is that we are more thoughtless, and we are not fully present as the attention we have available is more superficial. At the same time, the seriousness of our environmental and social planetary challenges requires that we change almost everything we are used to: our way of consuming, producing, moving around and entertaining, to name a few. For this to take place, however, individuals need to become aware of their own behaviors, values and purpose. And this cannot happen on the run. In this chapter an exercise will be presented that invites students to have an unusual experience of being with themselves, in solitude, to do nothing, in nature. This powerful exercise leads students to see themselves in a new way, also experience nature differently, and a rich variety of unexpected thoughts about their purpose, their goals, habits, pace of life or addiction to technology emerge, as excerpts of their reflective posts illustrate.
