Abram and the sensuous world

spending too much time on the WEB... (that was a spider pun)

I have yet to allow myself to get close enough to nature, in the recent years to be able to experience such a sensation as the encounters with a multitude of spiders in the cave. I have formed a pre-conceived notion about such animals that allow me to remain at a distance and miss out on such experiences. I do not think I would be very comfortable in the presence of such animals and know my fight or flight instincts would kick in. When younger however, I have had similar experiences as my bias had not been fully formed yet. I remember picking up and playing with worms, roly-poly’s and insects of the sort. I remember making “salads” where big tree leaves would be lettuce and small bush leaves would be the peas. Sticks were utensils and dirt were the dressing. I remember climbing up trees and thinking I could see the whole world. I remember going to Kid Island with my friends and managing my own country, Terabithia, in the woods. I crossed logs that fell over rivers and caught frogs that jumped out of them. I felt connected with nature then. If you would have asked me the same question then, the answer would have been yes. I still have encounters with nature now. However, they tend to be less intense. For example, every day while walking to my 9 am class, I walk through an area with the most beautiful trees. The sun is shining at just the right angle as not to blind me but to let me gaze at its radiance. The air is as crisp as fresh linens. For a second, just for a second, it feels as though I am alone. Just the trees, the sun, and I and every-so-often the slight song of a bird.If our world wasn’t as attached to technology as we are, our relationship with the world around us would surely change. I can say that for myself, I would become more in touch with the sensuous world around me. The amount of time I spend with technology could be devoted to exploring nature and getting comfortable with my environment.