How often do we stop and notice – really notice – the symbols and structures that surround us and shape our understanding of the world?
How stratocumulus clouds form and what they mean in our lives. How a canopy of bamboo trees finds its place in our ecosystem. How coral reefs protect our coastlines.
The list is endless and, perhaps because it’s endless, it seems so easy for us to lose sight of what sits right before us every day of our lives. Aristotle wrote, “The ultimate value of life depends upon awareness and the power of contemplation . . .” Mike Fink reminds us to pay very close attention to the symbols, the things that surround us, appreciate them, and learn from them.
Mike Fink is a professor at Rhode Island School of Design.