The Natural Things of Life

The Nature Experiment

Post #4


"In the woods, we return to reason and faith. There I feel that nothing can befall me in life, -- no disgrace, no calamity (leaving me my eyes), which nature cannot repair. Standing on the bare ground, -- my head bathed by the blithe air and uplifted into infinite space, -- all mean egotism vanishes. I become a transparent eyeball; I am nothing; I see all; the currents of the Universal Being circulate through me; I am part and parcel of God. The name of the nearest friend sounds then foreign and accidental: to be brothers, to be acquaintences, master or servant, is then a trifle and a disturbance. I am the lover of uncontained and immortal beauty. In the wilderness, I find something more dear and connate than in streets or villages. In the tranquil landscape, and especially in the distant line of the horizon, man beholds somewhat as beautiful as his own nature." - Ralph Waldo Emerson, Nature

The best way I thought to fully experience nature was to be apart of it. I sat outside in my backyard on a cloudy morning and meditated. The sky was grey congested with clouds, it going to rain soon. I listened closely to the silence portrayed, everything was perfectly still. At times there was perfect silence, but was then rudely disrupted by the chirping of a bird. Silence is natures music, it keeps perfect harmony with all that lives within it. I noticed how calm, peaceful, and tranquil it felt. My could hear my self think, my voice was being projected by the quiteness around. I observed a hummingbird flying around, I watched as it went through its rountine, making its way around the diverse flower population of my backyard. Then I thought to myself, this small creatures was a significant part of nature. It had its own job within nature that made nature functional. Without the hummingbird, a part of nature would be missing and no longer able to perform at maximum potential. I then wondered, what is my role in nature? It seems that humans today only cause destruction to nature and have no positive influence towards nature. Is it our job to destruct? Do we have the choice to preserve or kill?

The answer is up to you.

The best aquaintence I've had with nature is at Niagara Falls. This encounter with nature was special because it was the first time ever that I felt like time had stopped and only the rushing of the water continued to defy time. Everything else in the world was insignificant and only the water mattered. The sound of rushing water was so freshing, it made me forget of all my stress and worries of life. The surronding with white blankets of snow was so serene, it was a calm setting that made me happy and tranquil within. Even though the temperature was below freezing, the natural experience gave me a feeling of warmth inside, a feeling that is hard to describe and only comes once in a blue moon.

My Happy Place

Niagara Falls- a waterfall of beauty
-stillness, peaceful, roaring
The coldness of the air surrounds
The icy snow;
Reflecting the brightness of tranquility
To light up the darkness of the night