As observers

“Humanity is exalted not because we are so far above other living creatures, but because knowing them well elevates the very concept of life.” Edward O. Wilson, Biophilia

We bob on the surface of the sea and scan miles and miles of coastline for sharks. We bring coffee in a thermos and launch the drone as soon as the sun lets enough light through the water. We’ve found schools of roosterfish, feeding mobula rays, steep ledges and narrow channels through mangroves. All we do is go, and look, and marvel.  

 JP once told me that his image for the meaning of life is me staring out a window. Such a simple act, so deceptively passive, the universe looking at itself, if only to look. As my grandma grew older, my dad would take her on a drive through the city with no destination. Each time she would say, “Mt. Olympus looks beautiful today, doesn’t it?”

Photo credit: JP Spaventa