My Nature Experiment

At 7:30, I decided I needed a break after a tough day. I went outside into my backyard. I did not set any very specific parameters so that I could see nature without seeing through a smoke screen. I did not bring a watch or any other modern devises to add undesired structure to my experience.

As I walked outside, I learned that Emerson is absolutely correct when he says that beauty can always be found in nature. As I walked outside, my eyes adjusted to the darkness as if a dim light had been turned on in a room. I examined the surrounding bushes with their long, dark branches and a nearby swing-set from my childhood. As I examined my surroundings, I learned, in accordance with Emerson, that it is necessary to scrutinize one’s surroundings and change one’s perception to experience the full beauty of nature. After lying down on the ground and expunging more of my worldly thoughts, I started hearing nature. At first, I could only hear the drone of occasional planes in the distance. After a small amount of time, however, I was able to hear crickets and other small animals and learn, in accordance with Emerson, that I was sharing nature with other beings. I even heard the rushing of water in the distance from a source I could not possibly discern. Although I could not see the stars above me, my vision of the palm tree above me continued to get crisper with passing time. As I was able to isolate myself more and more from society and my thoughts as I lied down, my senses detected nature at far away distances and dimmed the manmade objects in my vicinity, including my swing-set from childhood.

I agree with Emerson’s notion that nature is seen through the plastic perception of one’s eye. This principle, however, can be generalized through other senses. The feeling of the grass below me and the crisp silence contributed most to my perception of nature’s beauty in the darkness of my own backyard.