We need nature's contrasts

To learn more about the essence of a great nature experience, we’ve invited Jon Lindberg to chat about “jungle TV,” inner voices, tranquility, and immersion in nature—whether alone or with others.

If you’ve watched the TV show Alene i Vildmarken on DR1, you might remember Jon Lindberg from the first season in 2017. He was the one who, to his great surprise and delight, found six unopened cans of beer washed ashore in the rugged terrain of Northern Norway. There, he survived on his own for 45 days, which earned him the title of the show’s winner.

Jon has continued on this nature-focused path ever since. Today, he works to inspire others to connect with nature. We therefore asked him what nature can do and how to best experience it.

Jon, what can nature do?

“Well, of course, it doesn’t have to be a survival situation at all. You can also just go out into nature and experience the peace and quiet. Sit by a lake for a few hours. Let time pass, get cold—and then go inside and warm up. It’s that simple. You’ll feel your energy and creativity return.

But now you’re talking about survival and the wilderness. Can’t something less extreme do the trick?

Alongside my work, I also spend a lot of time sharing photos from my many trips out into nature. For me, it’s a creative outlet where I can take photos of things that inspire me personally and write as much as I want. And I go on an incredible number of walks with my sweet dog and my partner.

The thing is, you should try to use your own ideas and skills—and your own hands. It’s wonderful to go for a walk in the woods, but I also recommend that you do more than that. Throw yourself into creating something using what nature offers you. It could be anything from building a shelter for the night or making a good campfire, to weaving a piece of rope from plant material, carving a figure, or picking a bouquet of wildflowers. All of this will strengthen your connection with nature through your senses. And that’s basically the key: Use your senses. See, smell, taste, listen to, and feel the plants, the wildlife, the earth, the water—it all.”

> You’re used to having everything handed to you on a silver platter. But that actually doesn’t serve you well.

Jon Lindberg is a nature lover through and through. He loves the unadulterated outdoor life without a roof over his head, where you build, gather, and carve what you need to survive yourself. But less can also do the trick. After all, nature isn’t just for die-hard enthusiasts. Nature has plenty to offer anyone who longs for peace, presence, and immersion—and who perhaps wants to find “their own voice” again, as Jon puts it.

What else do you recommend doing when you’re out in nature or near nature?

When you have nature at your disposal, go exploring. That’s the most important thing. Head into the dense coniferous forest. Climb the highest ridge you can see. Walk around the lake, follow the stream as far as you can, find a nice stick, find a rock, a set of antlers—find all sorts of things… And then feel the calm that surrounds you while you’re doing all that. Listen to the sounds of nature—the animals, the plants, the wind, and the water. Smell it all. Feel it all sink in, and you’ll be enveloped by calm.

Do you think we’ve lost our connection to nature?

That’s probably very individual. But in general, I’d say that we’re often very comfortable. But we need to try to get cold, wet, and windswept. Why? Because it awakens self-care within us. And our care for one another. It creates bonds. That’s why my message is very clear: Make the most of fall, especially winter, and make the most of spring!

According to Jon Lindberg, nature isn’t just for balmy summer evenings. In fact, quite the opposite. Nature offers us the contrasts we lack in our lives, which can otherwise become incredibly monotonous. The contrast between cold and warmth—getting soaked only to become dry and warm afterward. Becoming truly, physically exhausted, only to rest afterward. Our lives can lack such contrasts, Jon Lindberg believes, and that’s not good for us.

You also advocate for people spending a little more time alone. Why is that?

“Well, first of all, I’d like to say that loneliness is a really awful thing, and it’s definitely not good to be lonely. But I find that it can be really good to be alone for a little while. Especially for busy people with families and jobs that fill up every hour of the day, week after week. If you’re in that situation, my advice is to take 2–3 days completely to yourself and reconnect with your own inner voice.

> We’re not missing anything, and that’s our problem.

Your own inner voice …?

“Yes, we tend to fill our heads with other people’s voices all the time. We’re constantly checking social media, listening to the radio or podcasts in the car or on our bikes, watching TV, and talking to friends and coworkers. That way, we’re constantly being filled with other people’s voices. And all those voices tell you what you should want out of life. They tell you what your needs are. For example, they tell you that you need a nice place to live with stylish furniture and a nice car. That you need some new clothes and should buy sushi and good white wine for the weekend…

My advice is: Get away and listen to your own voice for 2–3 days. And don’t bring a good book with you! Avoid the TV and your cell phone. Then just see what happens. You’ll start to discover and reflect on what your own needs really are. For example, you’ll notice what you’re missing. Many people will find that they miss their loved ones. You don’t miss your car or your robotic lawn mower. You’ll start to reflect on why you actually live the way you do. If it’s my kids—and not my car—that I miss, why do I spend so much time working so I can afford that nice car, instead of spending a little more time with my kids?

Read also: 5 gear recommendations for those who want to get out into nature more

The other benefit of being alone is that no one is telling you what to do. No obligations. Do you stay up all night, or would you rather go to bed early and get up at sunrise? What’s the answer if it’s only up to you? It should be a human right to be allowed to be alone for a little while at least once a year. You probably have a good life, but you’ll never figure out what really matters to you if you’re never alone. When you spend a little time alone, you can recalibrate your needs.”

OK, but one thing is alone time. Another thing is spending time with others. Can nature help with that, too…?

Yes, absolutely! It’s that same idea: when you get out into nature, away from the mental highway you’re constantly racing down, you connect with each other in a different way. Again, I’d like to make a case for creating something together. Use nature creatively and explore it. And it’s best when it’s not 25 degrees and sunny. We need nature to push the boundaries of our comfort zone a little. When we experience the cold, the wind, and the rain, we feel the contrasts much more intensely—and then, afterward, when we’re dry and warm again with a cup of hot cocoa. It awakens our self-care and our care for one another. ‘Jungle TV’ (a campfire, ed.) can bring us together in a completely different way than the TV we have at home in the living room. Everyone who’s tried it knows that.

So just get out there.”