The "What" of connecting

What's the difference between knowing about nature and experiencing nature? The "What" of knowing and the "What" of experiencing are different. Let's focus on the difference.

Knowing is an exercise of the intellect. It involves a flow of conscious thoughts and it happens inside our heads. The modern world provides us with almost endless resources for learning about nature. We can know about nature by watching a film or a TV show, by reading a book, or perusing one of the wonderful nature magazines published by various non-profit groups like the Audubon Society or National Wildlife Federation. Browsing the internet is a great way to learn about nature. There are literally thousands of nature-oriented pages and probably millions of plant and animal pictures available via the internet. One could spend a lifetime learning about nature without ever truly connecting.

Experiencing nature involves the senses as well as the mind. Consider this comparison. I can learn all I want to know about the spotted towhee from references: books, television shows, or web pages. But the experience of standing under a long leaf pine tree on a warm afternoon, watching a towhee scratching for food among the dead leaves under a yaupon holly involves all of of my senses as well as my intellect. I can see the bird in its true colors, I can take in all the greens of the various plants, I can sense the temperature and feel the sun on my skin, smell the tangy scent on the air, hear the rustle of leaves being scratched and the occasional call of the towhee. It is a complete immersion into nature even if it lasts only thirty seconds. During that time I have created a picture in the multidimensional space called me. And while creating it I am free of external concerns. I am totally present to the experience, a state of being that many work to achieve through meditation or eastern religious practices.

Is experiencing better than knowing? If we're considering the beneficial effects off nature on the body it certainly is.  Knowing goes on in the "noisy" environment of the mind and doesn't involve the kind of relaxation that comes with experiencing nature. Have you ever heard of anyone meditating while reading a book or watching TV? Probably not. Those two kinds of activities are mutually exclusive. Even a person concentrating on some subject of interest can be pulled back to the complex world by an intruding thought, a noise, or a sense of passing time. But when the whole self is anchored in an experience through the senses all "noise" fades into oblivion and the body relaxes. It seems that in meditation one learns to suspend the self in a peaceful, noiseless world. I suspect this happens naturally to many artists when they are completely engrossed in taking in a scene for painting a picture or imagining a theme for composing music. Those are activities that primarily involve the senses. True relaxation and healing that regenerates the inner self- spirit if you will- comes most readily when we are contemplating something conceptually much bigger than ourselves. That means just about any aspect of the natural world.  When so immersed in contemplation we are steeped in a feeling of wonder and awe - the basis of the religious experience for many people. The pathway to wonder and awe is also the pathway to a more peaceful, and therefore healthier life.