Friday, August 7, 2020

August 7--Understand?

 We shall see but a little way if we require to understand what we see. 
--Henry David Thoreau

     There's so much I love that I don't understand. Electricity, for example, baffles me, but I doubt I could live without it. Same for vehicles and their engines. If I had to understand everything I use, I'd never go anywhere or get anything done.
     Thoreau's quote encourages me to explore life in a state of awe and wonder. There is so much magnificence to see that I can't explain, and don't need to. From a tiny seed, how do we get a sunflower or a tomato or a giant watermelon? Having to understand the psyche of every artist would make it difficult indeed to simply see and enjoy art in its myriad forms. How did Niagara Falls happen? The Falls are spectacular, and I don't need to know the geology and geography behind it all.
     Let's turn this quote toward ourselves as humans. I can testify as a yoga teacher for nearly a decade that most humans don't have much of a clue about the inner workings of their own body, but that doesn't stop us from living, thank goodness. Emotions can confuse us, too, but a fully alive human experiences them all, understanding or not. Then there's the soul...it's the very essence of who I am, I can't begin to understand it, but it surely is fun to explore.
     I'm really grateful that there is someone out there who does understand many of the wonders that we see and use. It gives me the freedom to explore.
     Seeing and learning,
            Leta

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