In his book the Seven Spiritual Laws, Deepak Chopra says that being close to nature is being close to oneself. I, for one, am a staunch believer of this statement as I have experienced it.
Whether it is the infinite sea, the peaking mountains or the endless valleys, nature has always attracted me towards itself. Watching in wonder at the rolling waves of the ocean and its infinite water unlocks some hidden part in my soul. The mighty peaks clouded with mist stirs some unknown internal core. The magnificent bottomless expanses of valleys always awaken something deep inside me which I don’t completely understand but am definitely moved by.
I have felt a fascination for nature from my earliest childhood. Previously, while being near to nature I used to end up thinking of larger questions like the meaning of MY life, the reason for MY existence, the fragility of reality and the worth of relationships. Nearer to nature, I used to brood on these things and loose myself in these thoughts without getting any nearer to the answers. Often times, frustrating myself.
Now, I think I have got older (and hopefully, wiser). Because, now when I am closer to nature, I don’t really care about the larger scheme of the universe. I just try to be very still, very quiet and just observe. I just try to take in the vastness of the surroundings, invariably imagining myself as nothing more than a speck of dust in the grandeur. Just a tiniest nut (or bolt) in the smallest wheel of the gigantic machinery of the entire universe. A nut so tiny, that its existence does not even matter in the overall grand design.
Oddly, this thought lightens me up. It liberates me from the pressure of everyday living. It soothes my mind and frees me from the weight of my own expectations. It adds an incredible and uncanny happiness to my being. A kind of happiness of the mind. A happiness which is not attached to material things in life. A happiness that is not transient but permanent. A happiness bought out by the purity of my experience in the natural surroundings.
The feeling of insignificance brings joy, serenity and tranquility to me and that is why I keep going back to nature. To loose myself and consequently find myself.
