Standing and Staring

As the fierce heat as waned and Summer has begun its gradual change into Fall, we have all received a reminder that despite living in metropolitan Phoenix, where at first glance our environment and surroundings seem so controlled and ordered, the unending cycle of our natural world continues on in the background without any management or administration from us.

Despite us liking to think that we have subjected every aspect of our world to our own whim and desire, the natural world has a habit of prodding us every now and then, and reminding us that humankind, despite its opinion of itself, is merely a part of something much larger.

Anyone who has been out at sea when a storm is heading toward them will be quick to tell you that no matter how much we might want to, ultimately we do not have control over everything in our lives.

A lack of control is often a difficult thing- we all like to manage and govern as many aspects of our lives as we can, but what happens when we come face-to-face with something which we cannot control? Then we hit a problem. Despite our society offering us control and innumerable choices in our lives, there are still those things over which we have little or no choice.

That is why for me, those nudges from nature are so important. They help to remind me that I have to remain open to the ungovernable aspects of my life, and not to get so caught up in my own life as to forget that I am only a small part of something much bigger. The Welsh poet, W. H. Davies, encapsulated this reminder in his poetry:

What is this life if, full of care,
We have no time to stand and stare?
No time to stand beneath the boughs,
And stare as long as sheep and cows:
No time to see, when woods we pass,
Where squirrels hide their nuts in grass:
No time to see, in broad daylight,
Streams full of stars, like skies at night:
No time to turn at Beauty’s glance,
And watch her feet, how they can dance:
No time to wait till her mouth can
Enrich that smile her eyes began?
A poor life this if, full of care,
We have no time to stand and stare.

Perhaps by simply standing and staring we might also remember some other words, this time from the 14th century mystic, Julian of Norwich, who wrote that despite our worry and fear when we lose control, with faith in God “All shall be well, and all shall be well and all manner of thing shall be well”.

Author Info: Andrew Moore

Chaplain Andrew is the Associate Chaplain here at the Campus. Before relocating to Arizona in 2014, Andrew lived and studied in the United Kingdom. Andrew was ordained in the Anglican Church and has worked in a variety of parishes.