Love it with your eyes...

I stumbled across a quote from Rumi a few days ago. It said, “Goodbyes are only for those who love with their eyes. Because for those who love with their heart and soul there is no such thing as separation.”

While I very much agree with the sentiment, it was the first part, ‘those who love with their eyes…’ that lingered with me. I had no idea why, but somehow it felt like a challenge, coaxing me to find reasons to defend it. And again, this has nothing to do with goodbyes, as the quote suggests. I was thinking less about that and more about its literal meaning: to love with your eyes. Are there areas or moments in our lives where this act of love feels just right and fitting?

Just so we’re on the same page, when I say ‘love with your eyes,’ I mean being concerned with the visuals only – to love something merely for its beauty. It sounds pretty shallow, doesn’t it? But in the right context, perhaps it won’t seem that way anymore… I’d like to argue that it isn’t necessarily shallow but sometimes a necessity…

I know that it feels contradictory to associate the word ‘love’ with something superficial, because love is deeply grounded, inexplicable, and unfair (well, in the sense that it isn’t always logical and deserved). Some might argue that ‘appreciation’ is a better term here, but appreciation is mainly surface level or situational – often dependent on circumstances. Love, however, transcends circumstances. I believe you all know what I’m trying to get across. Well, to state the obvious: when we love a person, we love them despite their irritable behaviour and, more often than not, the problems and headaches they cause us. We can appreciate the sunrise because it signifies a new day, offering us a chance to start afresh; but we love a forest or a marsh even when it does nothing to us personally, its wildness might even endanger us, yet we are enamored by it nevertheless.

I’m sure there are a lot of areas where we love with our eyes but to preserve the true course of this article, and keep it from shooting in all directions, I’d like to focus primarily on the natural world (as this has been my ultimate plan…)

When it comes to nature, our eyes – as the first receptors of beauty and form – often seduce us and hold us captive to its ineffable splendor. But, is this always the case? Does every minute we spend with nature always turn out to be enjoyable and pleasant? Or does it behoove us to simply stand still and love it with our eyes?

Just as we sometimes find ourselves at odds with nature, whether it’s the discomfort of the sweltering heat, the inconvenience caused by the pelting rain, the relentless bite of mosquitoes, or the uniformity of a desert starts to feel stale – we come to realize that nature is not always designed for our comfort or pleasure. Sometimes, it can be very unpleasant, dangerous and even unforgiving. Yet, does it make it any less beautiful? I don’t think so. In fact, I believe the opposite: it’s precisely these things, these very elements that add vividness to life and contribute to its ever-elusive allure.

This reminds me of Nietzsche’s words: ‘All good things, even all the good books that are written against life, are strong means of attraction to life.’ The discomfort or fear we feel in the face of nature’s reality should not hinder us from its unfiltered beauty. Instead, we let the beauty of the moment, the awe-inspiring landscape, the teasing of light on water transcend the discomfort. In doing so, we embrace nature in all its complexity, just as Nietzsche suggests. It is these contradictions–the beauty that seduces us and the discomfort that repels us–that make nature even more strikingly beautiful, precisely because they are not easily understood.

So, whenever you find yourself feeling quite repelled by nature, don’t get worked up and just love it with your eyes. Love it simply because it’s beautiful regardless of how it made you feel – even more so when it sours your heart. Whether it brings you joy, exhausts you, terrifies you, or nearly kills you, you love it nevertheless.

I’m not here to change anyone’s perspective on nature or dismiss their emotional connection to it. I’m pretty much aware that we all have our own unique ways of relating to the natural world. I’m simply sharing a perspective.

Loving with your eyes might still sound shallow but it is, without a doubt, expedient.

_{This is a photo I took a couple of weeks ago, just half an hour before sunrise. I snapped it in haste, as I was really enjoying the view and don’t like being interrupted mid-moment.}

I wanted to end with a quote from a movie I watched the other night, taken from a conversation between two terminally ill individuals:

In heaven, all they talk about is the ocean, how gorgeously beautiful it is. And all the sunsets that they saw – how the sun turned blood red before it disappeared into the sea. And how you could feel the sun lose its strength. And how the cool water splashed on and the only fire left, was the fire in their souls.

You see, even in the afterlife, we still love with our eyes. I guess it’s not only inevitable but something that feels right.