Making Meaning

A person can have some satisfaction in their life with a nice job, a family perhaps, a hobby or two, friends. But, ultimately it comes down to what you want to do with your life, what do you want out of life? I've long been thinking that while I'm enjoying myself to some extent in what I do, I'm not completely happy, that I'm "underfed" on my potential. I would like to make more meaning with my life since I believe I have the skills to do so. In such an overpopulated, overstimulated, instant-gratification world, though, I find it harder to do because of a symptom I call "Coccooning".

This is the process of individuals, groups, and societies wrapping themselves in technology, cell phones, computers, email, satellite TV, cars, ATVs, motorhomes, cities. Doing this dulls the senses, imagination, and spirit and creates a wall, a coccoon, that separates us from the environment and makes us dependent upon that technology. The cell phone beckons and we stop whatever we're doing to answer the call, we sit for hours in front of the television, live and recorded shows keeping our attention from wandering, we camp in our cars and motorhomes complete with television and refrigerator, GameBoy and boombox stereo to keep nature at bay.

I'm feeling very disconnected and need to find a way to shake off the trappings of technology, at least so I can breathe, and get back to what I love to do and want to do, photograph and write about nature.