Why do I paint landscapes?

For me it gets me closer to nature, closer to how I believe man is really meant to live. Society pursues the next big tech gadget, the next sporty car, the next rolex or piece of high fashion that they think will make them happy. I go into nature and see the otter, the trout, the bear, the muskrat, the deer, the groundhog and more and see them live in relative peace, only taking what they need and leaving the rest. I wish we could live this way and when I go out to paint or take reference pictures I feel like I'm a million miles from a society that values a video game over watching a turkey and her poults, but there's no money in quail, woodcock or native grasses, so we take it for granted and are trained from birth do buy and keep buying. I have set a goal to retire and get out of the rat race as soon as I can so that I can paint. Not because I'm lazy but because I see it for what it is; a game that makes some wealthy and others unhealthy and out of touch with the important things in life. I paint landscapes because they are where I want to be.