For the first few weeks of this course, I could not understand why everyone loved the contemplative practices. It seemed utterly counterproductive to discuss systems theory while also emphasizing the awareness of our personal experiences. However, I realized that these two perspectives are what ultimately define what it means to be a human. I chose to represent my human “beingness” in terms of shadows, as discussed by David Abram, and our contemplative practice on the spaces between.
Our shadows are often forgotten and disregarded, similar to how we regard our part in the earth system. As Abram describes, our shadow is not simply a two-dimensional reflection of our body. Instead, it is a being with substance, a better representation of ourselves than our actual bodies in that it portrays what we cannot hide. I chose to represent myself as a shadow to display my impact in the earth system. My shadow has the capacity to block out an entire portion of the Seattle skyline, suggesting that I have the potential to make change. Furthermore, the night time shot is representative of the earth’s shadow. Sometimes, our shadow is visible at night because of the bright city lights. This causes us to forget that when the earth casts its shadow, our own is drawn into it. At night, my shadow is not distinguishable from another dark portion of the world, it is simply another aspect of myself which is entirely dependent on the earth system.
The circle around me represents the collision of my space and Seattle’s space. In the photo, I have stepped away from the busy, bright city in order to gain a sense of self awareness, similar to how we close our eyes during the contemplative practices. Here, I may take the time to slow everything down around me and visualize the spaces between myself and everything else. This provides me with the opportunity to analyze how these spaces interconnect, supplying me with a greater understanding of my being. However, it also requires me to be comfortable with the fact that I cannot and do not know everything, represented by the spaces of dim lighting within the circle. This course has undeniably taught me that acknowledging the unknown, specifically the gaps and spaces of the world, is the initial step to understanding your role within it.
