A season of inspiration (Part 2): Normally, I’m not much a beach person when it comes to just “hanging out” or “getting a tan” and so forth. There is one respect, however, of a visit to the shore that I cannot deny I enjoy. When viewing the ocean, the mind must suddenly deal with the amazing expansion of its universe. The hemmed-in world we spend our time in is pushed so far away from us, and the horizons which were usually within walking distance are now miles and miles away. It is a view which defuses the notion that “what I see is all there is” as our mental reach jumps out orders of magnitude from where we stand.
Another adventure in the same area was also a treasure of the season. On Mount Tamalpais which towers more than 2,500 feet above San Francisco and the Pacific Ocean, I was happy to again experience that reassuring sense of perspective one can get only standing upon the highest peak in an area. The tall skyscrapers and other constructions of our modern society are reduced in an utterly startling and confounding way. It’s like beholding all of the small moments of your life from the perspective of eternity, and so many supposedly urgent worries just seem to disappear.
Writing on The Legacy of Aris continues, and I’d say it’s going well. More to come!