Yourself Inside Yourself

Week 2: Literary Response

"Listen

Make a way for yourself inside yourself

Stop looking in that other way of looking"
-Rumi, Sufi Poet and Philosopher

This journal entry will reflect on the quote above, which I found on the homework sheet we received when we were first assigned the nature journals.  I was first drawn to it because I recognized the word "Sufi."  I went to look it up and realized that I had come across the word when reading about the Islamic culture.  Sufism isn't so much a sect of Islam so much as it is a very "mystical" approach to Islam.  I researched Sufism a little bit more and read that Sufis believe that nature and God are simply two aspects of the same reality.  I tried to keep this in mind while I analyzed the text of the poem.

The quote itself I find to be very inspiring.  Whenever I analyze text, I like to break it down into parts, and afterwards appreciate it as a whole and apply it to my life.  I'll start with the first line, which happens to be only one word: listen.  I enjoyed how the first line is just one word with an implied pause afterward.  I imagine Rumi speaking to a crowd, and after the word "listen," silencing the audience with a wave of his hand before continuing to impart his wisdom.

I had to think the deepest about the second line of this quote. To be perfectly honest, I haven't come up with an exact way to interpret this line.  In my mind's eye I imagine creating a literal path or trail through a wooded area.  Maybe this line draws a parallel to the old adage, "Take the road less traveled."  Perhaps as people observing nature we need to take a deeper look at what we are seeing rather than the quickest, easiest way of looking at nature.  Despite not having come to an exact conclusion yet, this is a very fun line to think about.  I enjoyed thinking about it so much that I named this nature journal "Yourself Inside Yourself."

My favorite line of the poem is the third line.  I interpreted the line as talking about how people get into a rut in terms of the way that they see the world, almost like being in a constant state of tunnel vision.  This final line of the poem is a call to action to keep an open mind and try to view and appreciate the world from a new perspective.

I thought that this quote was a great way to introduce me to the concept of nature journaling and open my mind to the idea of writing about my surroundings.  I was definitely skeptical of creating a nature journal when it was first assigned in class, but I believe that I can personalize it in a way that will make it a treat for me to work on throughout the semester.  Not only will the idea of nature journaling help me, but it could definitely benefit my future students.  Having students journal about nature could be a great way to assess student's literacy skills and help them to develop their creativity.  I am very much looking forward to seeing what there is to see out in the Stevens Point area for me to observe and comment on, for both myself and my students.