We're in a giant car heading towards a brick wall and everyone's arguing over where they're going to sit.
David SuzukiRead
We can't blame children for occupying themselves with Facebook rather than playing in the mud. Our society doesn't put a priority on connecting with nature. In fact, too often we tell them it's dirty and dangerous.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Children are influenced by societal values that prioritize technology over nature.
David Suzuki highlights the contrast between children's natural inclination to explore the outdoors and the modern societal preference for digital engagement. He argues that society often discourages children from interacting with nature due to perceived dangers and dirtiness, which leads to children spending more time on platforms like Facebook instead of enjoying the simple, enriching experiences of outdoor play.
Themes
ChildrenNatureSocietyTechnologyPlay
In practice
Example use cases
During a school assembly on the importance of nature, this quote can be used to illustrate how children are influenced by their environment.
More from David Suzuki
All quotes →As parents, grandparents, uncles and aunts we need to start getting out into nature with the young people in our lives. Families play a key role in getting kids outside.
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One of the joys of being a grandparent is getting to see the world again through the eyes of a child.
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The medical literature tells us that the most effective ways to reduce the risk of heart disease, cancer, stroke, diabetes, Alzheimer's, and many more problems are through healthy diet and exercise. Our bodies have evolved to move, yet we now use the energy in oil instead of muscles to do our work.
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Do you know how much land is under ice, rock and snow? Do you know why 90 percent of us live within 100 kilometres of the U.S. border? We have this idea we're a vast country. But the reality is that a lot of it, a huge amount, is uninhabitable.
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We no longer see the world as a single entity. We've moved to cities and we think the economy is what gives us our life, that if the economy is strong we can afford garbage collection and sewage disposal and fresh food and water and electricity. We go through life thinking that money is the key to having whatever we want, without regard to what it does to the rest of the world.
David SuzukiRead
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