Waiting with me has been mainly a cheerful acquiescence in the order of the universe as I found it - a faith in the essential veracity of things. I have waited for the sun to rise and for the seasons to come; I have waited for a chance to put in my oar. Which way do the currents of my being set? What do I love that is worthy and of good report? I will extend myself in this direction; I will annex this territory. I will not wait to see if this or that pays, if this or that notion draws the multitude. I will wait only till I can see my way clearly. In the meantime I will be clearing my eyes and training them to know the real values of life when they see them.
– John Burroughs
That was a quote by the American naturalist John Burroughs, who is considered to be the father of the American nature essay. He lived a very interesting life, and had a lot of wisdom to offer to the world. He apparently had a lot of famous visitors in his later life, including Thomas Edison, Walt Whitman, Teddy Roosevelt, and fellow naturalist John Muir. The quote above was posted on the daily dao website on friday, and I can see why. Whether labeled as that or not, naturalists all over the world have been echoing the sentiments of Taoists of old.
Modern man is always concerned with manipulation and use of the natural world. This is our modern ego coming into play. The best use of the natural world is not use at all, in the way we think of it. Use by enjoyment, appreciation, and respect is the most efficient way that we can “use” our resources.
When one steps into the natural world, there is a calming effect. The human spirit is soothed by the presence of peaceful beings which do not judge or require things of us. A few minutes a day spent in the company of trees can relieve the stress of the office, or make one forget the problems of everyday life. Simply looking at it, the natural world puts us in our place and puts things in our lives into perspective.
I personally cannot think of time I've spent under a tree that I didn't enjoy. I'd like to be under one now, but as the weather grows colder, we tend to retreat into our houses. This autumn and winter I'd like to spend a bit more time venturing into the outdoors to take walks, etc…it's good for the body and the mind.
On another note, we spent a little time yesterday at Borders in Swindon, where we basically sat and read a bit. I spend my time reading The Te Of Piglet, which is starting out quite pleasant and has actually put some things straight in my mind that maybe other interpretations of Taoist writings may not have done well. Steph spent her time reading the Dalai Lama's autobiography, Freedom in Exile. I know a little bit about his life, having seen some movies and read a little bit, but it looks pretty interesting. I may read that at some point. After reading the Te of Piglet, I plan on reading a book about Che Guevera, possibly. Either that or some spanish language instruction, or possibly something else Tao or Zen related. It's going to be a thing we do every Sunday that we are in the area. I guess if we're not in the area on a lot of Sundays, we could move it to a week night.
So, we'll be gearing up for our Paris trip pretty soon. I'm looking forward to it, but I really have no idea what to expect. It should be an adventure.
Anyway, maybe I'll post more in a while…gonna be a busy day. That's all for now.
