Watching attentively is itself a sufficient response to natural wonder
Evidence
Standing perpendicular to the earth, not pitching forward, not falling back, I asked how I could possibly express my gratitude for the unlikely spectacle of the pelicans. The answer was nothing. Just watch. — Jenny Odell, How to Do Nothing, 683
Categorization
- DEFINE: Articulates the receptive, non-productive mode central to Odell’s redefinition of attention and doing.
- STORYSTEM: A scene in which the offered response to beauty is to do nothing but watch could seed a meditative fiction moment.
- XREF: connects to: Every viewer, sighted included, perceives only a fraction of what nature offers — Freeman Tilden, Interpreting Our Heritage, 705; Attentive listening without judging is itself a rare gift — Holm Gero Hümmler, Ulrike Schiesser, Fact and Prejudice: How to Communicate…, 439; The act of attentive listening actively enlivens the surrounding environment — Pauline Oliveros, Deep Listening, 347 (+1 more)
- yield-rescued: below the book’s yield-target cutoff, included anyway for connecting to: Every viewer, sighted included, perceives only a fraction of what nature offers — Freeman Tilden, Interpreting Our Heritage, 705; Attentive listening without judging is itself a rare gift — Holm Gero Hümmler, Ulrike Schiesser, Fact and Prejudice: How to Communicate…, 439; The act of attentive listening actively enlivens the surrounding environment — Pauline Oliveros, Deep Listening, 347 (+1 more)
Broader Connections
- Wonder at the spectacular can block understanding of everyday harmony
#complicates(0.74) — Freeman Tilden, Interpreting Our Heritage, 672