Viewpoint: Circles or Cycles
I heard that lost hikers automatically start to walk in circles.
I once saw a blindfolded person put one foot in front of the other as she tried to walk a straight yellow line on the pavement.
After a few steps, she veered off and started walking a circle.
I recently had dinner with my friend, Nienke, who discussed the success of a mutual friend.
Our friend reported that she expected things in her life to turn around nicely because she trusted in the cycles of life.
Years ago, I drew a dancer. Along the hem of her skirt I wrote, "Dance with life. Trust its lead. Spin a lot."
Right now, I have a lot of questions about the circles.
Circles, as symbols, have positive connotations: unity, wholeness, eternity.
We have some natural tendency to walk a circle.
But, when you're lost, why would you want to end up right back where you started?
Like in the movie Groundhog Day, do we just keep setting out again until we eventually find our way?
Is it even possible to get stuck in a circle? Or do we actually find ourselves in upward and downward spirals?
Is the circle the only form of transport in life? How do notions of linear paths fit into a seasonal system?
Is there a clear line between spinning out of control and dancing with life?
A friend of mine is a DJ, neurologist and mountain climber.
When he said he started to notice familiar undercurrents in the new areas he set out to explore (computers, languages, art, travel, humor), I thought of the hiker who notices the same tree again and says, "I think I've been here before."
Sometimes I'm not sure how to view my life. Are these the cycles of the seasons? Or are these the circles of the lost hiker?
Sometimes I wonder if there is much of a difference.
Technorati tag: urban camping
I once saw a blindfolded person put one foot in front of the other as she tried to walk a straight yellow line on the pavement.
After a few steps, she veered off and started walking a circle.
I recently had dinner with my friend, Nienke, who discussed the success of a mutual friend.
Our friend reported that she expected things in her life to turn around nicely because she trusted in the cycles of life.
Years ago, I drew a dancer. Along the hem of her skirt I wrote, "Dance with life. Trust its lead. Spin a lot."
Right now, I have a lot of questions about the circles.
Circles, as symbols, have positive connotations: unity, wholeness, eternity.
We have some natural tendency to walk a circle.
But, when you're lost, why would you want to end up right back where you started?
Like in the movie Groundhog Day, do we just keep setting out again until we eventually find our way?
Is it even possible to get stuck in a circle? Or do we actually find ourselves in upward and downward spirals?
Is the circle the only form of transport in life? How do notions of linear paths fit into a seasonal system?
Is there a clear line between spinning out of control and dancing with life?
A friend of mine is a DJ, neurologist and mountain climber.
When he said he started to notice familiar undercurrents in the new areas he set out to explore (computers, languages, art, travel, humor), I thought of the hiker who notices the same tree again and says, "I think I've been here before."
Sometimes I'm not sure how to view my life. Are these the cycles of the seasons? Or are these the circles of the lost hiker?
Sometimes I wonder if there is much of a difference.
Technorati tag: urban camping
posted by Jennifer Metz at Monday, June 26, 2006
2 Comments:
Hey Jen,
Short, but your perception. I do not exactly recognize my experience in this, because seeing the same tree over and over while hiking equals getting lost for me. The same undercurrent gives me quiet and piece, and the reassurence that there is actually only one way we have to follow without having to worry what it should look like...Hope for more talk
Steven
Thank you for sharing your perception! Yes, my experience is different. I wrote about it in the next post.
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