When I tell people about where I live -- in a small town in a rural county on the edge of the forest -- many will say that it's far easier for me to get in touch with nature. In one way, this is true. I often hear coyotes howling in the evening across the bay. It is not infrequent that I see deer, opossums, raccoons, chipmunks and a wide assortment of birds in my back yard. On occasion, I might even spy an elk, bobcat or fox in the general vicinity.
But anyone, anywhere can get in touch with nature. All one needs to do is look.
I don't care if you live in the penthouse suite of a fancy building in the heart of New York City or Paris. It doesn't matter if you live in a slum or a ghetto. Nature is all around all of us every single moment. The key is to look.
While I may watch a raccoon scurry between my house and the neighbors, I'm sure you can find a butterfly, moth, ant or ladybug to watch. While I may sit drenched by a sheet of rain, you can sit under the sunlight or watch rainless clouds float overhead. While I can relish the silence that comes with living in a small community, you can relish the many noises that come from living in a big city.
If you desire to be one with Tao, you can accomplish your aim regardless of where you call home. The only requisite is to look.
But anyone, anywhere can get in touch with nature. All one needs to do is look.
I don't care if you live in the penthouse suite of a fancy building in the heart of New York City or Paris. It doesn't matter if you live in a slum or a ghetto. Nature is all around all of us every single moment. The key is to look.
While I may watch a raccoon scurry between my house and the neighbors, I'm sure you can find a butterfly, moth, ant or ladybug to watch. While I may sit drenched by a sheet of rain, you can sit under the sunlight or watch rainless clouds float overhead. While I can relish the silence that comes with living in a small community, you can relish the many noises that come from living in a big city.
If you desire to be one with Tao, you can accomplish your aim regardless of where you call home. The only requisite is to look.
That may be true for you, but I doubt it is. I find it impossible to connect at all with the Tao while in a city. I can talk the talk, but can no longer walk the walk.
ReplyDeleteOnly amid nature, or with nature nearby, can I sink into Oneness.
Maybe my cross to bear. Maybe not.
Without nature - and peace - I am lost.
Crow,
ReplyDeleteMy point is that nature is a state of mind. Everything in this world is a form of nature -- the good, the bad and the ugly. That said, I do agree that, for most of us, it's easier to be one with this nature deep in a forest or walking along a lonely beach.