why we feel so connected to the sea
there is something monumental about being in the presence of the ocean.
the waves whisper softly even with their power; you know it can engulf you but you're safe with the knowledge that it most likely won’t. there is something secure in knowing that the sea will always be there no matter where you are.
Neil de Grasse Tyson said “there is a fundamental reason why we look…at the distant swell of the open ocean. there is something like an ancient wisdom, encoded and tucked away in our DNA….intellectually, we may not want to return there, but the genes know, and long for their origins - their home in the salty depths.”
have you ever been beside the ocean and started having quite existential thoughts; what is the meaning of life, what happens when this all ends, where will I end up?
though he didn’t know it, my friend captured this picture of me beside the ocean whilst I was thinking about my late grandad. I wondered if death gave him the freedom to exist in the natural beauties of the sea; I wondered why he felt the closest at that exact point.
looking back on moments like these made me wonder why this is and of course science has an answer.
our brains are wired to have a blue mind; reacting positively to water (so like Tyson said, our attraction to the sea is literally embedded within our genetics; we are 2/3 water after all). unlike the overwhelming nature of the media we consume on a daily basis, the sea gives our brain a cognitive break from overstimulation. we are then held in a state known as soft fascination - we are not distracted by the sea’s overload, rather the simplified sensory output allows us to relax and focus.
as someone who is prone to panic at the big questions, when I have let loose into the labyrinth of my existential thoughts beside the water I have never felt afraid; this explains why many of us house a deep affinity for water.
I suppose that explains why we think so deeply; our minds are calm but focused, thus we are able to explore the thoughts that we tend to push away. we have a new perspective in the shade of mindfulness.
we are safe here.
