Going into the Depths
I have always been one who likes to go deep. This week, I hope you’ll come along with me, into the depths. Our field of vision is not only wide, it’s also deep and far.
There is a chapter in the book, Sight and Sensibility, called Genuine Depth. But first, what is depth? According to Sewall, the essence of depth is about much more than distance. It’s “the gathering of images, sounds, and scents; our lived experience in time and space.” Sounds like what we’ve been working on in this seeing clearly project, deepening our experience of the here and now.
Sewall shares that philosopher Ken Wilber thinks that most of us live in “flatland” - a world lacking an awareness of depth. He says that when our minds are reduced to intellect, quantity rather than quality, fast as opposed to slow, then we’re living in flatland. Either/or and us/them thinking also reduces our sense of depth and makes us surface dwellers. There is no complexity, no in-between, no texture or nuance.
Let’s look at depth in a few different ways and then practice moving beyond flatland.
In photography, depth of field has to do with how far we can see clearly in the picture space. As I said last week, our everyday lives tend towards the myopic, looking down at screens or the printed page, seeing about 18 inches from our noses or straight ahead about 30 feet. We have little awareness of width or depth and our eyes are suffering because of it.
The first way to emerge from flatland is to look up from our screens or book or whatever we’re working on and look into the distance, to the horizon. But it’s not just the horizon we’re taking in, it’s everything in between too. Sewall says that our eyes are literally at rest when we look outward in this way. In other words, it’s a good relaxation exercise for our eyes.
Another way to see deeply is to recognize deep time, the history under our feet. It’s easier to experience deep time in rocky places like the Grand Canyon or the limestone rocks of the Burren in Ireland or in volcanic rock or in the Niagara Gorge where I live. When Sewall writes about the 2-billion year story of the Vishnu Schist, the rock at the bottom of the Grand Canyon, she says that it’s hard to fathom billion years old history. This kind of depth evokes wonder, what she calls the “fundamental perspective.” But, there is deep time history everywhere. The past is always present.
You can also look beyond flatland by looking into deep space, at the night sky. This too evokes wonder, awe, and humility. It’s hard to wrap your head around stars that are thousands of light years away. We live on a tiny planet in a vast universe. There’s so much we don’t know. All we can do is be thankful for our part in it.
And finally, we live in a digital world, full of sound bites, sensational headlines, and surface-level conclusions. Twitter and Tik Tok provide snippets of life and don’t get me started on the algorithmic offerings of YouTube and Facebook. One thing I know for sure is that every issue is more complex and nuanced than we know. We have to go deeper to truly see what’s going on.
“Without experiencing depth in some fundamental way, as primary, how can we expect to be anything but superficial? We must experience depth to know depth.” ~ Laura Sewall, Sight and Sensibility
Practice
Depth is felt in the body. If nothing else this week, notice what genuine depth feels like in your body. Can you articulate that feeling?
Start a habit to give your eyes a rest on a regular basis by looking up and into the distance, to the horizon. If you have a chance, go to a high spot where you can sit for a while and look out. See the horizon and everything in between. How does this affect the quality of the rest of your day to take the tIme to do this? How does it feel in your body? You could witness a sunrise or sunset, but any time of day and any place is fine.
Write a deep time, geological story of the place where you live. Here’s mine of Niagara.
Spend some time this week gazing at the night sky. Do you feel a sense of awe and humility?
Notice a headline or snippet that catches your emotional attention this week. What do you know about it? Delve a little deeper to find out more. What do you discover that surprises you? How does your understanding of the topic deepen?
Resources
Can you articulate what the experience of genuine depth feels like? This could include an emotional response, a reaction from your physical senses, an urge to respond, or a memory that pops up.
A few days ago, I experienced a sunrise on Lake Ontario. There were no other humans around. The birds were singing their dawn chorus, and the water lapped rhythmically at the shore. While watching the horizon, I took in everything in between from the sand and rocks at my feet, to the trees and houses and birds nearby, and the water, space, and air in between. Seeing it all, near and far, as the sun rose, left no separation between me and the horizon. I felt like I was a part of it, invited to the party.
I was at my computer looking out the window, as I've done a multitude of times, it felt different. F I saw my usual balcony view with its black rail underlining the trees along the street beyond. Today the wind is blowing gently and I noticed how the leaves on the copper maple mixed with the assortment of trees across the street and beyond, creating a living tapestry. Looking deeper the tallest tree tops appeared to be resting in the fluffy clouds that reached down behind them. Above the clouds the sky ranged in shades of light blue becoming an increasingly deeper blue. My window framed the scene wrapping me in my private world. As I drew back to the room the feeling increased. The bookshelves on either side and below the window filled me joy and comfort. Looking at my private world outside I felt the window was the threshold, inviting me to return to my sacred space, a place in which I rest secure.