responding to "Lanscapes of the Sacred," by Belden Lane

Ashley Smith
I'm here but I'm not

"One can be there and yet not be there at the same time" (Lane 29).

I cannot recall the number of times that I have felt this way- that I was somewhere, but I didn’t actually feel like I was a part of or connected to the place in which I was located. Sometimes my body will physically be present, yet my mind and heart is completely somewhere else. Lane refers to this feeling as the paradox of being present to place, which is a basic paradox of human existence. I have always referred to this feeling as daydreaming, which tends to have a negative connotation. People are often corrected or told to “snap out of it” when caught daydreaming and dazing off into the stars. In today’s society, productivity and efficiency are the main concepts emphasized. People no longer have time to daydream and imagine because they are too busy checking off things on their to do lists, and making various accomplishments throughout each and every day. I, however, wish people would spend a little more time enjoying their own existence and being, rather than rushing through life to get things done. Life moves really fast, and it passes people by before they realize how much time has elapsed.