“I want to sing like the birds sing
Not worrying about who hears
Or what they think.”
Rumi
I wonder what went through the minds of our ancestors who were physically, mentally and spiritually closer to nature then we are? I ask because I come to these nature areas to find distance from the noise of the city but find my mind is consistently distracted. Were they capable of being more present than I seem to be? I’m aware the more time I spend out here the more present I can be. After a period of settling in, adjusting to this place, I hear, then see, the osprey soaring in the wind drafts, being pursued by a pesky crow. Next I notice a goldfinch that just perched on a bush nearby, singing it’s soft and delicate “swee-eet” song. I watch and am amazed at how quickly the birds can fly from here to there, silently. If you do not know what I write about then spend a morning in a nature area, listen, watch, be present, bring a journal and use it, and please leave your phone at home. Just some questions.
9 Comments
Tom Dills
We all carry a lot of baggage with us, even when we don’t mean to. And it’s hard to turn off, partly because we’re out of the habit, and partly because it’s very noisy. That’s a lovely view. It would be interesting to get up closer to that snow, but I think that will need to wait for another year.
Monte Stevens
Yes, we will wait another year. Thanks,Tom.
Cedric
Excellent questions Monte, though there is a risk of romanticising the past here. There is no doubt that our ancestors would have been closer physically and mentally to nature but the further back you go, the more that connection would have been out of necessity for survival than out of contemplation and appreciation. Of course there would have been individuals who would have had that deeper connection, like shamans, but generally, being present in the moment back then would have been more about listening out for predators or searching for food than for some spiritual connection. I’m guessing.
I like to consider the possibility that we may be far more fortunate today than our ancestors ever were. The time they spent surviving, we can now spend contemplating. We live longer lives and some of us get to enjoy a fairly large chunk of that life in relatively comfortable retirement. Perhaps the cities that we consider dirty and noisy, the lifestyles that we consider fast and stressful, give us a far better incentive to look deeper into ourselves. You’ve heard the old adage, what does a fish know about water?
It’s one thing finding serenity and silence in nature but the real trick is in finding it amidst the noise and bustle of our cities. It is there, of that I am sure. The next time you are in nature, ask yourself: Where is the serenity, the silence? Despite what Fox Mulder may have us believe, the truth is not our there. I’m guessing it’s much closer.
Monte Stevens
I agree with all aspects of your comments. It’s another example of the philosophical life you live. There is for sure a difference in what captivated the minds of those ancestors. I’m aware they did not contemplate a book they had just read, other than the book of nature. I suspect their need for survival allowed them to stay connected with nature while I can be walking in nature but thinking about work or contemplating some question. I wish I was able to be more present than I am and much more like they were. Just watch any animal.
I love this line from your comments. “Perhaps the cities that we consider dirty and noisy, the lifestyles that we consider fast and stressful, give us a far better incentive to look deeper into ourselves.
And, I am grateful for this opportunity in my life to contemplate these thoughts. I so appreciate your thoughts and inputs because they help me to understand and articulate what I’m stumbling to say.
I consider my small condo to be a place of solitude, a sanctuary, a monastery or whatever you wish to call it, where time is spent in quiet, meditation, and journaling. For sure it is much quieter than the coffee shops. But, I have experienced those times when I could let go of all the noise around me and read or write in a coffee shop. However, there is always the exception when someone makes a business call for everyone to hear. Then, it’s time to move on. 🙂
Mark
Cedric’s points remind me of an article I read recently, I think I may have shared it on social, about those ancestral connections we seem to have lost. Indeed, our survival was dependent on paying attention. Now, many don’t need or want to commune with nature. Modern life has afforded them that possible separation, at least within their life bubble. Life is relatively safe from predators, food is relatively easy to get. One can now live perhaps an entire life and never sit under a tree. How’s that for a depressing thought?
Cedric
I hear you Mark, though I haven’t met your hypothetical person who does not want or need to commune with nature but is it not possible that this person might not necessarily feel sad or depressed over their decision? Could they not find the same joy and peace amidst city streets that you, Monte and I find in woods, open fields or on beaches?
My great-grandparents were farmers and my in-laws grew all their own vegetables, even their coffee, and they made their own wine and vinegar. Not to mention olive oil. They were very connected to nature, the seasons, the earth and the plants they grew however they didn’t philosophise about it. They didn’t speak of that connection in any way at all. To them there was nothing to romanticise. It was merely how they lived. The only times I ever saw a semblance of enlightened appreciation for how they lived was when they tasted manufactured food and recognised the difference.
I’m with you Mark, in that I too prefer to find myself in nature than on a city street when given the choice, but I have no doubt that my preference stems from my experience of cities, traffic, smog and so on. If I had never set foot on asphalt, never laid eyes on buildings and highways, factories and shopping centres, lived my entire life in nature instead, I suspect my appreciation of nature would be of a different kind and that I would take my life for granted as much as I currently take for granted all the conveniences that I now have at my disposal.
Mark
Symbolic of how far we have removed ourselves from the lives your great-grandparents had? Or that those that were just living their life simply could not appreciate the benefits nature provided until it is taken away? So many interesting scenarios to contemplate!
Monte Stevens
A few years ago I wrote a post about dropping my car off for brakes then walked to a coffee shop, had coffee, then walked back to pick up the car. I realized on the walk back to get the car that I never set foot on the earth. I was on concrete or asphalt the whole time. This happens on a regular basis for many of us.
joe
Sometimes I think the sounds of nature our ancestors heard are not that much different than the highways and sirens we hear on a daily basis. They become background noise while we’re focused on living.