Living on the Edge
“In ornithology there occurs the phrase, the abrupt edge, which is the edge between two types of vegetation, where the advantages of both are most convenient.” ~ Stanly Plumly, The Marriage in the Trees
We live in a world of boundaries. borders, and edges – things that separate and things that connect. Plumly says that natural edges can be very gradual or more abrupt, like a forest’s edge. On the edge can be found the greatest diversity, chaos, danger, and opportunity. When I first heard this quote by Plumly, I was blown away.
The edge is the place where things happen!
“Contrast is the most fundamental of the visible relations. It is the signal that one thing is in relation to the next. It appears as the shiny, black rock against a bright blue sky. It is the edge between dark and light, between round berries and brilliant green leaves. It is the horizon, the edge of night, the edge of shadow cast by dunes and ripples in sand, the line that distinguishes this from that. Contrast marks an edge.” ~ Laura Sewall, Sight and Sensibility
Seeing in terms of relationships instead of isolated entities creates an entirely new experience. That’s why it’s important to pay attention to edges or where things meet. This is where connection happens, where relationships begin, and where meaning is made.
In the art world, this is called juxtaposition, where two or more things side by side compare or contrast with each other to create an interesting effect. The edge is shared and where one thing changes into something new. Think of the edge of the sea. When does land become water? Or, the edge between a field and a forest.
One of my favourite poems is The Red Wheelbarrow by William Carlos Williams and it’s all about juxtaposition. Go ahead and read it now. It’s super short.
This poem describes something you could happen upon at any time. It’s not so much about a red wheelbarrow or white chickens, as it is about their juxtaposition. Together they create the visual moment. The key to the poem are those first words, ‘so much depends upon.’ ‘So much depends’ implies just about everything! Nothing is in isolation and so much depends upon our seeing that.
Are you seeing more in terms of relationships? What do you depend upon? During the past year, it’s become more obvious to me what I depend upon … chance encounters, hugs, health, the people who help me to live, uncertainty, being grateful, the way I see. What about you? Make your own list.
I don’t want to say too much more because this way of attending to the edges is so enriching and you have to experience it for yourself. So, let’s practice.
Practice
Notice contrasts, juxtaposition, or where things meet. See how they interact and affect each other. There are contrasts in colour, textures, and shapes. But, it’s not always about material things either. For example, when light meets a subject, it allows you to see the subject differently. How many different kinds of edges can you notice this week? What do you find there - diversity, chaos, danger, opportunity?
Meaning in life often comes from relationships. Where are your edges of connection, your most important relationships, human and more than human?
“Our beliefs mark the edge between inner and outer forms of reality. I wonder about the edge between what is real and what is unreal, or between material reality and projected reality, or between the seen and the unseen - and the power of our beliefs to shift that edge, to amplify one reality over another.” ~ Laura Sewall, Sight and Sensibility
Where are the invisible edges of your thoughts and beliefs? Where do you amplify one reality over another? These aren’t easy questions but they are our growing edges.
Share your thoughts and insights in the comments or post your edge pictures on Instagram using the hashtag #seeingclearly2021.
Resources
Revisiting: Lines in the Mind, Not the World by Donella Meadows
Having come to this course late I am playing catch up and I feel it may take the remainder of my life (I am now 80 yrs. old) and beyond before I begin to digest and synthesize all the work you have presented Kim.
As I begin to explore the "edges" in and around me I am overwhelmed. It is easier to explore the edges" outside me but they are endless. Beginning with the room in which I study, just the windowsill, window frames each having a purpose some practical; the frame to hold the pane of glass in the window. The sill built to hold the heating and cooling unit, also provides a base for the items placed on it; salt lamp, hand thrown bowl, each providing edges some rounded some crisp. The register in the center to move hot and cool air throughout the room. on either side and below bookshelves filled different sizes and shapes of the books they contain, and within each book hundreds of pages their edges one upon another. Amazing, I haven't catalogued the walls, paintings, furniture, a plethora of edges every shape, size, and configuration.
Beyond the material edges are the ideas, opinions, fantasies. The distance imposed by the pandemic, and the desire for touching not only people but surfaces now forbidden unless sanitized. The requirement for each of us to be aware of the barriers between each of us that were never a concern before. Masks and face shields to protect us from the invisible dangers that lurked all around us. This list is only the tiniest beginning of all the "edges" seen and unseen, painful and delightful, that fill our days. I shall become more aware of what they all mean!