My intention with that special note was to encourage a view of “the environment” as always directly available in one form or another…if only we have eyes to see, as the expression goes. And more often than not, we’re more embedded in the environment than we realize even when we’re in a location that seems entirely human-constructed. (my room)
You can write about a flower that I have planted near my window
Elemental parts of our experience: the air that circulates through air conditioners or open windows, the light that comes through a crack by the door, the water that drips from our faucets, the dust collected in a corner by the entrance. And what about the “spirits” Abram describes, those insects that exist at the margin of our vision? Did you know that it’s estimated that we’re never more than 8 feet from a spider, even in our homes (some estimates suggest the average home has 60+ spiders). Think, too, of the many forms of plant and fungi life — houseplants, molds, mildew.
You get the point: your quarantine is not nearly the isolation from the natural world that we might want to believe. Some of it may not be directly accessible, but what would it mean to spend time paying attention to something in our domestic “wilderness” — even more interesting, perhaps, because it is part of that human-built domestic space?
The reason I’m encouraging this approach is because there is something really important about the immediacy of experience that is crucial to recognizing how your perception operates. That’s an essential part of this exercise. I agree that you could work from a memory, and that would be a valuable additional exercise, too, as it could sharpen your insights about perception, sensing, knowing. Perhaps you could blend both immediate experience and memory?
Assignment prompt: Write a brief paragraph where you step back and explain what you think youre learning about the shaping role of your individual methods of perception and knowing. The piece of Abram can provide useful reference points of comparison/contrast if youd like. Are your methods allowing you to see the world in meaningful, accurate, and responsible terms? Explain.
