Not Seeing the Gorilla

Trying to stay connected

When I was a kid I was fascinated by wild animals from around the world. I was especially enthralled with gorillas. I fantasized about being a gorilla roaming through the jungle with my fellow gorillas. To me, it seemed that the life of a gorilla was so peaceful and joyous. Between humans and gorillas it appeared that gorillas were the happier of the two primates.

I figured that it was because gorillas had not lost their intimate connection to nature. I would go outside but instead of playing with other kids I snuck off into the forest beyond the neighborhood. There were several places in the forest that I visited regularly. Being in those spots I saw no evidence of humankind. I was completely surrounded by nature.

I would stop walking and sit on a log or a rock and just FEEL the intense energy. Looking up at the forest canopy I imagined being a gorilla looking up at the forest trees. While I spent a few hours a week in the forest, gorillas spent their entire lives in their forests. They could FEEL that energy all the time. How splendid that must be!

I have been a nature freak all my life but there have been many times when I have gotten completely sucked into the manufactured world of humans and, like other humans, became thoroughly disconnected from nature; from that energy.