>There's a great article in the current issue (Spring 1998) of Orion
>Magazine by Scott Russell Sander, called "Beauty," under their special
>section on "Wonder and Other Survival Skills." It touches on "natural
>revelation" via the wonder of the world, and the appreciation of beauty in
>both people and the natural world, and how this is more than merely
>"obeying our genes."
>
>As he says "Otherwise, how could a man who is programmed to lust after
>every nubile female nonetheless be steadily attracted, year after year, to
>the same woman? Why would I plant my yard with flowers I cannot eat?"
>
>Elsewhere:
>
>"The most incomprehensible thing about the universe, as Einstein said, is
>that it's comprehensible. How unlikely, that a short-lived biped on a
>two-bit planet should be able to gauge the speed of light, to lay bare the
>structure of an atom, or calculate the gravitational pull of a black hole."
>
>And:
>
>"This predilection [for discerning beauty/patterns] brings with it a clear
>evolutionary advantage, for the ability to recognize pattersn helped our
>ancestors to select mates, find food, avoid predators. But the same
>advantage would apply to all species, and yet we alone compose symphonies
>and crossword puzzles, carve stone into statues, map time and space. ... I
>am convinced there is more to beauty than biology, more than cultural
>convention. It flows around us and through us in such abundance, and in
>such myriad forms, as to exceed by a wide margin any mere evolutionary
need."
>
>Finally:
>
>"Beauty feeds us from the same source that created us. It reminds us of the
>shaping power that reaches through the flower stem and through our own
>hands. It restores our faith in te generosity of nature. By giving us a
>taste of the kinship between our own small minds and the great Mind of teh
>Cosmos, beauty reassures us that we are exactly and wonderfully made for
>life on this glorious planet, in this magnificent universe. I find in that
>affinity a profound source of meaning and hope."
>
>I highly recommend this for anyone! Excellent writing, excellent reading.
>Orion has a web site but the articles are not online. But you can check it
>out at http://www.orionsociety.org/orion.html
>
>Wendee
>~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
> Wendee Holtcamp -- GREENDESIGN Communications
> Environment/Nature/Adventure-Travel Writing
> ------> http://www.greendzn.com <------
>~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
> List-Owner, Envwrite Writing Workshop
> "subscribe envwrite Your Name" to listserv@greendzn.com
>