The Zen of LatviaThe Timeless Promise of Forest Bathing |
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By John Freivalds
The world economy that existed before the onslaught of the virus doesn't exist any more. It was destroyed by the Covid-19 virus. It like the Spanish flu of 1918 which changed the world forever and the new one being created will take a while. The hope is that a vaccine will be discovered to conquer it. A more realistic scenario is what an acceptable level of risk is. As the Latvian consul for Minnesota (a very large state as all three Baltic countries can easily fit into it) I have to come up with some ideas to keep Latvia in front of people's eyes.
Technological changes were already in progress around the world and was accelerated by the virus (on line shopping, robotics, distance learning, take out dining, home office, video conferencing via Zoom, telemedicine, iPhone, streaming movies, to mention a few.
The social connections that we assumed safe are not particularly friendly to mass tourism which many in Riga depend upon. Will we get to get into a crammed Air Baltic airplane with strangers again with just a couple of bathrooms or sitting at a hockey game or will cruise ships still stop in Riga or even sail at all.? Will we be willing to sit next to a coughing spectator at a coughing game or go to Jurmala and mix with the crowds who come from all over? Packed stadiums to watch sports? Go out to dinner at Kirson's wearing face masks? It is unreasonable to assume that we will have a vaccine invented, tested, distributed and taken by the majority of the population within two years.
Although Zen is a Buddhist word meaning "slow down' Latvia has already been practicing a form of it for centuries. Latvia has lots of pagan traditions; Jana Diena (summer solstice), epic songs (ligo), bon fires, a variety of symbols and even last names. I know no other language that has last names like, rabbit, rock, onion, willow, birch, bug, island and so forth.
But he real Zen of Latvia is its forests which cover half the country. They have now begun to lay a bigger role in the country's future and not just in being a source of wood products! My favorite poem is by Imants Zeidonis where he muses:
Cik pilns ir tukšums
Cik tukš ir pilnums
Translation: how full is emptiness how empty is wealth.
I was skeptical when I returned back to Latvia in 1989. I was part of the first American Latvian business delegation. 26 of us came to Latvia to share our knowledge. We set up a business center in the Hotel Riga and invited Latvians to come and talk about their desires.
I ended up with a farm owner who wanted to start a tourist business on his forested wooded land. The conversation went like this: Is your land near a road? "No." was his answer. Is your land on the way to a tourist destination? "No." Is there anything unique about your and?” No." Are there any facilities on your lands like cabins? "No. just forest."
I was very skeptical of his answers. At that time attracting tourists meant historic buildings to look at, museums, amusement parks, nice restaurants, bars with live loud bands, shops having unique gifts like amber and not so unique like T-shirts and comfortable hotels.
But today 30 years later a number of people are looking for is nothing. They just want to sit in the woods in silence enjoy the surroundings and what they here. The virus has pointed out that the tourism of cruise ships hotels and guided tours being led around old Riga old town are long gone.
The popular term of what is happening now is "forest bathing" and something that I will be promoting as consul. The bible for this is a book by that title written by Dr. Qing Li chairman of the panes Society of Forest Medicine. Its message is "how stress can help you find health and happiness." The introduction of the book says it all:
"We all knowhow good being I nature can make us feel. We have known this for millennia. The sounds of the forest, the scent of the tress, the sunlight plying through the leaves, the fresh clean air-these are things that give us a sense of comfort, help us relax and to think more clearly. Being in nature can restore our mood, give us back our energy and vitality, refresh and rejuvenate us."
The Japanese call this shinrin-yoku. In Japanese shinrin means forest and yoku means bath. I am fortunate in that I live in Minnesota which has immense tracts of forest and companies that are putting this to use. This is a case where a huge investment is not necessary and a simple cabin will do. I have friend who lives in Alaska in a town of just 28 people and before she was thought to be a little strange living in the wilderness. Many from the cities now plagued with virus would love to replace her.
The best book in Latvian of forest bathing in Latvian is "Caur Sidraba Birzi" published by Annele in 2006.I wish there was a version in English that I could send out to people. Latvia's forests are eternal and this is something that can be promoted under any circumstance.
You need to look no further than the inside cover of the book which has the headlines"
Aicnam atpūsties latvjas valsts mežos
Translation: we invite you to relax in Latvia's woods
In the weeks ahead I will be sending excerpts from this book to variety of people interested in Latvia as our forests in these troubled times are even more appreciated today.