It is all too easy to slip into a
self-reflective mode where the nature around me
becomes a metaphor for my own
existance. Underfoot there are lichens and other
small plants which closely hug the ground to
protect themselves. The trees that have most
successfully thrust themselves skyward have had
to alter dramatically their very shape to meet
the powerful prevailing winds.
These examples suggest life-style alternatives
which are both equally discouraging. To become
an indistinguishable element of the background,
to cling to obscurity and avoid notice by a
blending-in is one way. To choose the other
course and to attempt to stand and be noticed
will, according to what I see here, garner the
attention of hostile forces which will require
appeasement and compromise.
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