Meditation: The Proverbial Tree in the Forest
I'm still making my way through Pilgrim at Tinker Creek by Annie Dillard. This is my second time through this beautiful, inspiring book.
If a tree falls in a forest and no one is there to hear it, does it make a sound? A philosophical question we heard as children, seemingly stupid at the time (of course it makes a sound!) until we grew up and learned about other philosphies and about the harsh reality that beauty and wonder often go unnoticed when we are consumed with life and ourselves. Annie gives a response to this question, a challenge to me.
"The answer must be, I think, that beauty and grace are performed whether or not we will or sense them. The least we can do is try to be there."
If a tree falls in a forest and no one is there to hear it, does it make a sound? A philosophical question we heard as children, seemingly stupid at the time (of course it makes a sound!) until we grew up and learned about other philosphies and about the harsh reality that beauty and wonder often go unnoticed when we are consumed with life and ourselves. Annie gives a response to this question, a challenge to me.
"The answer must be, I think, that beauty and grace are performed whether or not we will or sense them. The least we can do is try to be there."
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