Day 1 - Meditation in a Toolshed

"You can step outside one experience only by stepping inside another," states C.S Lewis in his essay "Meditation in a Toolshed". This excerpt from C.S Lewis's famous essay reflects the two perspectives that exist in oneself: looking along or looking at. These perspectives can be translated in many different ways, yet they all point to the necessity for one to develop a balance between both perspectives.

In order to get to this final point, C.S Lewis offers some vivid examples of "looking along" and "looking at". Inside a toolshed, a bystander may perceive a single strand of dusty light shining onto the ground in the middle of the shed. To them, it may simply seem like a strand of light penetrating within the surrounding darkness. But when standing exactly underneath the light, a person may perceive what he never could perceive before: the beautiful sky, the trees, the birds.

Although this example may be leaning towards the favor of "looking at" the light directly, it shows that without the two perceptions, one would be engulfed in their own ignorance of either the outer or inner picture.

Another example C.S Lewis portrays is the savage's ritual dance, which is to help yield green crops and bring rain. As a bystander, looking along this savage's behavior, one might state that logically this dance is simply a fertility ritual as to the savage this dance requires every single drop of his passion, desire, and belief. This example points to another observation that was stated in class today: experience comes before understanding. To the bystander, rationality and logistics rule his/her mind: but although rational and logical, however, the bystander has never experienced the ritual through the savage's eyes. This lack of experience hinders the bystander from reaching total understanding, no matter how logical he/she is.

Overall, C.S Lewis seems to magnify the importance of the balance between the two perspectives. The reason for such necessity of the "looking at" perspective is because that it provides an intrinsic value that cannot be hindered by the criticisms and observations of others, who themselves are also being judged and evaluated by other people.

In today's society, where beliefs and values are extremely diverse, there is a long rot stemming between all members of society. Each person is either dwelling "along" or "at" the light. Yet existing societal taboos and views encourage such rot to continue. This prevents people from looking "along" and "at" things. One's reluctance to truly experience what it is like to be within the light suffers by failing to see the different picture. Another person's reluctance to go beyond the light and looking along the light itself suffers by failing to see the different picture as well.

C.S Lewis gives us a choice between the balance of the two perspectives. He knows that one solution does not work the same for everyone; instead, everyone must adjust the balance himself/herself in order for this balance to work. As an avid reader of C.S Lewis, I am looking forward to the amazing discussions on the life, works, and messages of this brilliant, yet humble author.