Other than the short-lived “hippie” phase I went through in middle school, I’ve never been one to be particularly in touch with the natural world. Furthermore, in my adult life I live in the middle of a city. Where was I going to commune with nature?
About a week ago I was sitting in my apartment, pondering this question when my eyes fell on an orchid I bought earlier in the week. I love orchids; they are so delicate yet intricate. However, I was reluctant to buy it because, in support of the above statement, I have a very “black” thumb. The only plant I have been able to keep alive in the past several years is a bamboo (which does not need to be watered). Needless to say, had there not been a fantastic sale at Whole Foods I would not have made the financial and emotional investment in another plant that I feared I would inevitably kill.
At the time of writing, you will all be happy to know that this plant is still alive (although I cannot make any promises for the future). When I bought the orchid there were three blooms, and one bud that was just about to open. For the several days that I had the plant, I had been watching with excitement as each day the bud incrementally inched open. At that moment it occurred to me that, in my own small way, I was communing with nature. This was in contrast to the way in which Nasr (1996) addresses both nature and the ways in which people (religions) think about and interact with it on a fundamental level and on a global scale. It also differs from Bradley’s (2000) concern with human interaction with the landscape. Despite the fact that I was far from addressing the cosmos or even landscapes, I realized that I was involved in a very intimate relationship with a piece of the natural world. Granted, this instance of “nature” was confined to a terracotta pot in my urban apartment. This, I must reluctantly admit, in my mind confirms the theses of Nasr and White that Westerners are fundamentally disconnected from the natural world. However, despite that caveat, I decided to record the orchid, my orchid, blooming.
In the process of this working on this project, I found myself much more attuned to the subtle changes in its appearance. I inspected the different parts of the bud and the other flowers. I questioned the mechanics of the process, and tried to guess how long it would take before the flower emerged. I took a picture of the bud every morning and every evening. I thought about those time-lapse videos of plants growing or seasons changing, and as incredible as they are, they miss the slow but deliberate quality that I was able to capture in my observations and (hopefully) my photographs.
In the directions for this assignment, Ian asked us to reflect on whether or not we were successful in our attempts to connect with nature. In answer to this question, paradoxically, I felt both. At the end of the project, I was imbued with a profound appreciation for the simple yet purposeful way in which the orchid bloomed. In taking such detailed interest in the process, I also ended up feeling a connection to the plant itself. However, I also was left with feeling that I must be very disconnected to nature if this is my example of ‘communing’. I think about the concrete building in which I (and my orchid) live, the brick sidewalks and paved streets I walked across to buy my plant, and the fact that I am nervous that I won’t be able to keep the orchid alive for very long. Are these all indications of Christian (Western) suppression of nature? Does our constraining and confining of the natural environment make these instances of our interaction with it less "natural"?
I think that my interaction with my plant is probably more characteristic of contemporary, Western contact with the natural world than the image of meditation in a secluded grove that came to mind with implication of the word "communing". What are the implications of this conclusion in relation to our understanding of a contemporary, Western conception of sacred space? How might that be different from a non-Western, non-Abrahamic, non-contemporary perspective?
Posted at Mar 31/2008 10:45PM:
Elisa: I think these exercises have shown that there are many valid ways of communing with nature. I can certainly sympathize with your recognition that your definition of communing with nature is decidedly "Western," and felt the same way about my own experience. Is the sacredness of nature culturally or religiously determined, or does is it universal?
Posted at Mar 31/2008 11:34PM:
Heidi: I agree with Elisa about the range of valid forms of communing with nature, and was struck by the fact that the piece we read on "caring" featured an image of a person gazing upon a single plant perched in his apartment window. It is also interesting that, even if we are part of a cultural tradition that systematically suppresses nature, we nonetheless crave opportunities to bring nature back into built environments -- potted plants, fish tanks, sky lights and what have you. While one could make a "conquered natural world" argument for such exempla, there seem to be other ways of reading them.
Posted at Apr 01/2008 11:26AM:
claudia: Following from Heidi's comment about a "conquered natural world," I think that, to a certain point, as your interaction proves, it doesn't matter if nature is tamed and conquered (potted in you case) or wild and untamed, untouched by humans. The orchid is the part of nature you were communing with, not its surroundings. Therefore, even taken out of its natural landscape, the flower still represents nature perhaps even more forcefully against your background of books (as seen in your pictures!)
Posted at Apr 01/2008 11:58AM:
Carissa: One of the things that I am constantly reminded of while reading your piece, was brought up by Claudia and the attempt that you are making to communicate with nature in this extremely Westernized setting. I was also reminded of a program that I seen on the National Geographic channel over the weekend. It adressed this problem in the city of Toyko. Modern architects are trying to bridge the gap between nature and the city by designing apartments with with more natural features, running water, bamboo and my favorite, a tree in the middle of the apartment.
