It accelerated through the col; seventy, eighty miles per hour. I leaned against a rock to brace myself.  The front had finally passed. The air was fresh and clean and cold. A hundred feet above, the ground turned to rime ice and snow.  A Columbus Day gift.  We retreated to the safety of the trees, laughing at the antics of the wind.

Standing on the high ridges – feeling the wind on my face – has always renewed me. It is there that I am re-created.  It is there that my spirit finds rest.

Many of us retreat into the wilderness to renew ourselves.  I fear that it may become a lost art.

I love email for the ease of communication.  Google is nothing short of astounding as a research tool. I am able to maintain relationships across the decades and around the world through Facebook.

The hand-eye coordination required by electronic gaming will inspire the next generation of micro-surgeons.  Computer savvy teens will create new technology beyond our wildest imaginations. Internet marketing will re-invent our economy.

But something fundamental fails us as we hurdle into these virtual worlds.

This appeared recently in the Investors Business Daily:  “Web sites where users interact in virtual worlds are growing in popularity, particularly among the young. User accounts have topped 1 billion, up from 650 million a year ago, according to a survey by KZero. Virtual worlds are computer-generated environments, like Second Life, where users construct avatar characters to interact with users.  Children ages 10 -15 account for 46% of users, followed by 15-25 year olds with 29%.”

And within days, this:  “The U.S. ‘virtual  goods’ market will hit $2.1 billion next year, up 31% from $1.6 billion this year, according to research firm Inside Network. Social online network games like Facebook’s ‘FarmVille’ and ‘Mafia Wars’ are leading the trend, the report said. Players of these social games pay real money for digitally animated items, such as plants and tractors in ‘FarmVille.’ that help them further develop their digital creations, earning the respect and praise of their Facebook friends. Facebook’s massive base of 500 million users also fuels sales for the games.”

At dinner one night, my friend Bob wondered aloud whether his grand-children would know – whether they would have the capacity to know – the joy he finds in retreating to the woods.

Virtual worlds will rob us of our ability to know the Wonder of what is Real.  They will leave us orphaned.

To walk the earth.  To know the woods.  To feel the wind. To touch each other. These are the things that ground us.

I guess I’m with Madonna.  I’m a material guy.