The Secret Within: Chapter 17, Grand Ecology

The Secret Within is a book I’m writing about the art of finding happiness and peace amidst personal difficulties. 

This is the 17th installment. Previous installments can be found here.

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17: Grand Ecology

My artist brother is always looking for new subjects. Recently, a friend’s ’56 Chevy caught his attention. It’s a magnificent car, with blue paint polished to a mirror-like finish and dazzling chrome hubcaps.

Paul decided to draw it using colored pencils. Upon closer examination, he noticed the car wasn’t simply blue; its finish reflected the kaleidoscope of colors of its environment. Sketching the colors reflecting in the hubcaps alone took two hours. 

Many layers exist below the surface of casual awareness. 

One clear moonless night, I wondered how many stars I could see, so I Googled the answer: 4000 stars under the best conditions. The Milky Way galaxy has a hundred billion stars. There are an estimated 100-200 billion galaxies in the universe. My perspective of space is very narrow! 

Awareness determines our perspective. When restricted to the aperture of Self, awareness impoverishes our perspective. Life isn’t about me, you, or anyone else—you’ve heard that before. What if we routinely expanded our perspectives so a shiny car isn’t merely blue? 

We assume that reality is a given, but this is clearly not the case. We experience the world not as it is but as we are. An artist sees colors I miss, and an astronomer perceives a more expansive sky.

Awareness is driven by distinction. Early in life, we learn to distinguish one thing from another, one person from another, and finally, one thought from another. From these distinctions, we form a unique perspective. Life closes in on us by design; we resolve its contours through separation and distinction when, in reality, everything is part of a more expansive whole. 

How broad is your perspective? 

Mine is narrow, so I’ve decided to work toward a new perspective, which I call Grand Ecology.

Grand Ecology has many advantages. For starters, rather than evaluating life on my terms, it invites me to view myself on life’s terms. What am I a part of? Where do I belong? Rather than complaining about what life does to me, it invites me to consider how to better merge with circumstances. 

Recently, a friend passed away in his sleep. He was 74. There was a time when I might have rationalized his death as a consequence of age. That’s not an attractive conclusion when the deceased is a member of my age cohort. 

But there’s a bigger picture!

From the perspective of Grand Ecology, death isn’t the end; it’s merely the dispersion of a temporary collection of atoms. My atoms will become a component of new patterns and, possibly, a new life. I’m only borrowing them; they originally belonged to stars. 

I find comfort in that.

One of life’s biggest challenges is to stop clinging to patterns destined to change. Examples abound. Take music; Popular music has changed so much that finding new bands I like is difficult. Everyone in my tribe knows the early 1970s were popular music’s high water mark. It’s embarrassing to admit I have become my parents, who favored Sinatra over Pink Floyd! Music is another area where I need to expand my perspective.

The shift in context from Self to Grand Ecology invites me to investigate how I participate in life’s evolving scheme, to welcome change rather than resist it.  The ancient Tao Te Ching amplifies this:

“A tree that won’t bend

Easily breaks in storms.”

When I escape the perspective of “me,” a burden is lifted. I feel a renewed lightness, an openness to searching for new connections and relationships. Grand Ecology favors balance, flexibility, and moderation. Such a perspective helps me respond more positively to unexpected circumstances. 

The lake at our cabin is crystal clear. During summer, I walk to the end of our pier and gaze into the water, eavesdropping on another world. Perch swim in and out of pond weed and lily pads. Schools of minnows zig-zag about. An eagle circles overhead; loons sound the alarm. Grand Ecology puts on quite the show. Fourteen thousand years ago, this beautiful diorama was covered by a half-mile-thick sheet of ice! 

Everything changes.  

George Harrison reminded us, “Life goes on within you and without you.” Life is larger and more inclusive than we can imagine. Practicing Grand Ecology broadens my perspective, makes me more inquisitive, and increases my resilience to change. 

We are part of an expansive community of existence. Why not widen the aperture of our perspectives? 

The next time life catches you off guard, try practicing Grand Ecology!

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Installments of The Secret Within can be found here. 

Former blog posts can be found here by subject category and here chronologically. 

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My first book, Towards A Life Well-Lived, can be purchased by clicking this link. Proceeds from sales are donated to Peace In Schools, a Portland, Oregon-based organization supporting mindfulness training in high schools.