Gone to the Birds
Reflections on a recent birdwatching experience
We’ve been told that people are addicted to screens, completely unreachable, antisocial, and even fearful of strangers, and that everything is “cringe” if it involves any effort that could lead to failure.
However, photographing and talking with members of a local birdwatching group proved the exact opposite.
If you look at the world solely through a doomscroll, you are going to be grossly underinformed.
When individuals step up and give back generously to others with their time, effort, and enthusiasm, amazing things happen.
It becomes magnetic.
The biggest lesson of all is that paying attention to something other than ourselves and marveling at the wonder of nature is a deeply enlightening and rewarding non-tech experience.
Doing this together with a group of like-minded people is an act of mental wellness.
Awe, wonder, surprise, and achievement are all there if you know where to point your binoculars, and the remarkable thing is that it is all possible in one of the most urban environments on the planet, New York.
It’s also a reminder to open ourselves up to the possibility of positivity in all its forms and to keep our eyes peeled for signals that are the opposite of those pushed at us by the algorithms.
This involves observing and experiencing how people organize themselves into communities and groups to pursue their passions and interests, but also support their neighborhoods.
This is about more than running clubs.
It’s grassroots and, importantly, mainly free of corporate meddling.
