Unit 07: Creative Spirituality Discussion
November 13, 2013
I found our assigned reading “Deeply Seeing” very intriguing. I felt like I was able to connect with the author on a personal level when he explains that there is a difference between “merely looking at a thing and actually seeing it” (pg. 1). He goes to basically note that we spend our entire day looking at thousands of things, whether it be people, objects, or scenes. But almost entirely of what we set our eyes upon only lasts for a quick glance, we take observations or notions of what we see from walking through a crowd to sitting on a bus stop. However, rarely do we actually “see” what it is we are looking at. According to Gray, to “see” something is when “our attention is arrested by a person, object, or scene. Our mind stops chattering and pays attention. We see both the shape of the thing and it’s meaning to us” (pg. 2). That last quote really sunk in to me.
I felt like I could deeply relate to what the author was saying here because I will always see something that truly catches my attention, and if I choose to, I let my mind go blank from my surrounding world. All noises cease and everything else becomes invisible, I am honed in at what I see with tunnel vision. Then I have this strange intimate connection with the object and as I keep staring my perception of the object and thoughts start to flow, its almost like meditation. But I only do this with certain objects and it’s all random, what I decide to focus on just depends what mood I’m in and it can be something as simple as a bus stop. But its crazy because even though I can “see” something as dull and simple as a bus stop I am still able to find value/beauty in it. For example, today I was walking my dog and came across this unique old looking tree with all of its leaves gone. There were many other tree like it around this one but this tree looked much older. And as I began to focus on the tree I started to see in my mind the life of this tree. When it started growing/ how many seasons its been through, and how many people have walked by thinking the exact thing. Or what this tree looks like in the summer and how many people have taken shade underneath it. These thoughts alone, even though there were more, makes me feel a connectedness to this world which I thought was remarkable.
2 Responses to “Unit 07: Creative Spirituality Discussion”
November 14th, 2013 at 6:59 pm
The experience you had with the tree was what Grey called “Chronocide” where the ability of art to extinguish one’s sense of time” (84). The tree was natural art however with the artist being earth or God, however you believe. It is special that you do take the time to “see” even occasionally as most people these days are so caught up in their “absorbed state” that they cannot “draw themselves out of that self-absorbed state” which is the only way you can truly see something according to Grey (72).
I’m curious to see if you have any artistic background such as art classes. I wrote to Gabby blog about this because she was curious how somebody without the same artistic knowledge could take the time and see the object as the artist see it. I believe that you do not have to have artistic experience to find meaning out of art as long as you slow down and get out of that absorbed state. Like you did with the stop sign or tree. Everything around you became blank and you just went over a million thoughts and questions about it, that is truly seeing something.
Would you agree?
November 14th, 2013 at 10:10 pm
Hey. It’s neat that you felt so connected with Grey’s writing. I too related to his message. Upon reading, I was reminded of my move to Seattle after high school and how difficult it was to transition from the environment of a small town. In a small town, everyone sees you. You make eye contact with nearly everyone you see and you often even wave to strangers. This sort of acknowledgement was impossible to find on the streets of Seattle. I felt invisible, overwhelmed and as if I behaved weird when I would look at people and things for any length of time. I suppose the city life is the perfect ‘getaway.’ I am now more used to this city environment, but I still feel as though I see far more than many of my friends when we are walking/bussing, etc.
Your post also makes me think of something I read from Steinbeck. He spoke of our deep attachments to material things and our need to feel deeply attached. I feel like maybe this deep attachment/appreciation is a part of our desire to see deeply. Perhaps the rise of consumerism in the U.S (and decline of creation) has negatively impacted our ability to see deeply because we are simply consumers – with too many distracting options – who don’t place enough value or attention on creative or natural processes. What do you think about theses ideas?