Thursday, July 30, 2009

Butterfly time

As I have repeatedly written in this space, I used to collect and study butterflies quite seriously when I was a kid. It meant that I had to wait for the emergence of these rare species that I was after in the forest and the fields, often for hours, sometimes even for days.

There was a special quality in the time spent waiting for the butterflies. Butterflies could pop into view from any directions in the space around you. Once an interesting butterfly has appeared, you had to react very quickly, as otherwise the species might disappear. The combination of a long wait and a quick response characterized my butterfly time.

The human brain, once it learned something from a particular experience, can apply the resulting circuit to many other things. Today, after having ceased the active chasing of butterflies, I sometimes feel that I am still waiting for rare species. The butterflies have turned into concepts, new ideas, interesting people, beautiful cultural artifacts. The butterfly time in my childhood has fine-tuned my sensitivities for the abruptly emerging things, preparing my body and mind for a quick reaction.

4 comments:

Einstein's Brain said...

It's too bad that many children these days no longer know how to explore.

Anonymous said...

"The butterfly time in my childhood has fine-tuned my sensitivities for the abruptly emerging things, preparing my body and mind for a quick reaction."

professional attributes …

I have been working and studying on nursing, especially in an educational arena. To become (being) a good nurse, sensitivities, patience heart, readiness and quick response toward patients are essential.

Teaching (or cultivating) these things to the students may be compulsory for nurse teachers.

So how to teach or how to cultivate?

Virtues or virtuous actions can be taught? - maybe this is a durable and ubiquitous question but..

Please tell me your suggestion.

Utako said...

I have felt meditation and activity in your writing and character. The unique angle and relationship with interesting people seem to be captured exactly. One of the secrets, probably I could understand by reading the settlement in the forest and the field.

"A long wait and quick response" is also adopted by many animals. It must be quite wild refinement of nature. Yeah, Boys, such a man will be surely "moteru"(high in favor among women) because of being WILD and having fine-tuned sensitivities.

Anonymous said...

I hope you will catch "the butterfly" in your net. Probably it has beautiful wings and twinkle scales.