Welcome! I am a contemplative thinker and photographer from Colorado. In this blog, you'll discover photographs that I've taken on my hiking and backpacking trips, mostly in the American West. I've paired these with my favorite inspirational and philosophical quotes - literary passages that emphasize the innate spirituality of the natural world. I hope you enjoy them!

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In the Spirit of Wildness,

Stephen Hatch
Fort Collins, Colorado

P.S. There's a label index at the bottom of the blog.

Monday, December 16, 2013

The contrast between needing clear-cut distinctions and reveling in mystery is one of the things that makes life so fascinating.



One of the greatest enigmas for me regarding religion and spirituality is the fact that some people love clear-cut doctrines that can be expressed in precise words, while others revel in poetic, mysterious aha!-moments, capable of a multitude of interpretations. I am definitely one of the latter, although I was raised in a milieu that emphasized the former. Psychologically, it seems to be a juxtaposition between two human needs: security and adventure. Of course, each of us embodies a combination of these two contrasting traits, but we tend to emphasize one or the other. And that distinction is what makes life - and human interactions - so incredibly fascinating.

Photo: The La Sal Mountains peek out through a hole in the fog; Canyonlands National Park, UT; December 2, 2013
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