Dear Jeyamohan,
Being in nature is perhaps the greatest form of meditation. When we are surrounded by trees, birds, butterflies, and the changing light of the day, something within us becomes quiet without any conscious effort. But living in a big city, we are not always fortunate enough to have nature so intimately around us.
Yet I think imagination has a great power. Even when nature is physically distant, we can bring its presence into our lives.
I have only three small plants in my balcony. They may seem insignificant to someone else, but for me they have become a little world of their own. I nourish them every day and watch them closely. Sometimes butterflies come to them; occasionally, small birds visit. I notice the new shoots, the tiny changes in the leaves, and the growth that happens almost invisibly from one day to another.
Every morning, when I look at those plants from my bedroom, I feel that nature is present just opposite me. It may be only a small balcony, but in my imagination it becomes much larger. I feel the touch of Mother Nature on my soul every day.
Perhaps this is one of the great gifts of imagination. We cannot always change the world around us, but we can transform the way we experience it. With imagination, even a few plants on a city balcony can become a forest; the visit of a butterfly can become an encounter with the larger natural world.
We can create a world around us through our imagination, and perhaps that inner world is sometimes as real and nourishing as the physical one.
Thank you,
K. Raju
