We live in a society that loves to pronounce itself as the most advanced, even the most superior, in all of human history. One thing that is often mentioned to support this argument is the advancement of medicine and technology. However, let us for a moment concern ourselves with the broader picture: the physical wellbeing of the individuals living in a society. Let’s take a look at what has occurred throughout the 20th and 21st centuries. Little by little, we as a society—specifically those of the U.S. and other “first-world” countries—have been distancing ourselves more and more from the way our ancestors used to live. Not only have we seen vast changes in our daily labor, which includes an immense expansion of the service sector, but we have also seen a tremendous alteration in the type of food we eat, the medicine that we use, and the diseases we need to treat.

Nowadays, a typical day at work is sitting at a desk all day in front of a computer screen, hardly breaking a sweat or feeling the warmth of the sun stimulate our skin cells. Studies show that not only has the quality of our food dramatically decreased, but also the amount of adulteration to our food by laboratory-made additives and artificial preservatives has strikingly increased. What has been the result of these drastic lifestyle changes? Well, the statistics speak again. In the past few decades, we have seen an appalling increase in chronic disease. The prevalence of diseases such as cancer, diabetes, and heart disease has skyrocketed, and the use of prescription drugs has multiplied greatly. Tellingly, studies have increasingly shown that many overweight people in the U.S. are actually malnourished. How is this possible? Well, this is the result of most Americans adopting a diet extremely high in calories but very low in nutrients. Most unnerving, however, is the stubborn tendency of medical practitioners to turn away from nature and a holistic approach in favor of a contrived, pharmaceutical one. Let us now consider the way a population of Native Americans known as the Lenapes interacted with the natural environment.

The Lenapes lived in an agriculturally centered society. This meant that every able member of society was to contribute to the cultivation of crop, which benefitted the individuals and the society in numerous ways. For one thing, the people lived physically active lives. They were out in the sun every day, working the earth and feeling the sun and smelling the plants. A great number of studies have shown the benefits of daily physical exercise and the therapeutic value of connecting with nature. The Lenapes consumed crop of the utmost nutritional value, as it didn’t have to travel long distances and was never sprayed with carcinogenic pesticides or herbicides. They also ate seasonally, letting nature provide them with a variety of nutrients year round. Everything they consumed was wholesome and unrefined—even the meats, which were wild caught.

Of course, the medicinal practice of the Lenapes is also well documented. Every family had an extensive knowledge of various plants and herbs, which they used to treat ordinary sicknesses and injuries, and they treated the sick person according to the specific needs of his or her body. These sorts of treatments have been proved to be effective century after century in various cultures. In fact, despite our early indoctrination in the modern health practices, many in the 21st century have increasingly turned to herbal remedies and holistic measures. In the end, the question we must all ask ourselves is: Are we really better off as a society?