Reply To: Exercise 1: Evoke Emotion, Create Meaning
Really great to browse through everyone’s experiences. I had two conversations to start practicing the Spodek Method. Here are the notes –
1. My father, a 79 yo medical doctor who is still active and sharp as a tack!
He absolutely believes the natural environment carries meaning for him. His own principles revolve around reducing/eliminating waste, re-using things to the end of their useful life, and to also use only what a person needs and no more.
He remembers his time as a young officer in the Pakistan Army, stationed in different parts of the country. In particular he recalled time in Kashmir and in Ziarat in Balochistan. The trees, meadows, mountains, etc. He believes we need to be respectful of the things we encounter – living and non-living. We save them to save ourselves. He especially remembered the joy of the smell of the juniper trees of Ziarat. He described these as dense forest and extremely fragrant. He felt respect, reverence, revelation and awe.
2. My wife of 25+ years
The natural environment helps to center her and gives her peace; she loves the clouds, walking in the rain, and the mountains.
She recalled a time in the 4th grade when she was in a park and discovered a peach-colored segmented worm that she said “looked like it was smiling at me.” She also remembers trips to the Northern Areas of Pakistan and the deserts of south Jordan where she saw varying landscapes which each were beautiful in their own way.
Her main emotions centered around joy, discovery, learning and she recalled the love and companionship she felt because many of these experiences happened with family.