Do not Speak, Do not Define, Be in Awe
Hopkins
and Tolle both comment on the beauty of nature and its omniscient
connection to the celestial essence of God; both individuals note the
underlying bond between everything and the almighty God, himself. Tolle
argues that "when men don't cover up the world with words and labels, a
sense of the miraculous returns to [his or her] life that was lost a
long time ago when humanity, instead of using thought, became possessed
by thought" (Tolle, 109). Because Tolle notes, "everything
is not only connected with everything else, but also with the Source of
all life out of which it came," he blatantly highlights the power of
communication and universality of everything in relation to the
omniscient God, strengthening the idea that imposing words or labels on
the essence of life, it hinders the sense of awe and rediscovery of
"[his or her] essential self as prior to any words" (Tolle 109). The
shackling characteristic of the sense of "I" forces individuals to
attach labels and verbal meaning to "things, people, or situations,"
thus forcing reality to become even more dark and shallow. Tolle argues
people have gone from utilizing language as a resource to translate the
beauty and mystery of God's creation to becoming enchained by the
constraint of wording alone, stripping the man of wisdom and his living
appreciation for all.
Gods Creation, God's Eternal Message to Man
Hopkins
also agrees that man can only truly know himself if he frees himself
from the idea of labels and verbal attachments, realizing men are
connected by a superior celestial force. Even in Hopkins' poem,
"Hurrahing in Harvest," the speaker notes the beauty of nature and its
celestial quality in relation to a God almighty, perhaps this "Source"
Tolle speaks of. He compares "the azuroud hills are his world-wielding
shoulder" and as majestic as a "stalltion stalwart, very-violet sweet"
and personifies nature to a superior authority that embodies existence
of man as a whole. Ironically, Hopkins embodies his poem with the
implication of self and I, trapping his thoughts and understanding of
life and nature to the imprisoning walls of misrepresentation. Hopkins
proves a perfect example of Tolle's argued switch in mental thought,
where man covers the world with meanings and definitions, sucking it dry
of any remnants of awe and miraculous display. The idea of self and I
harm the deeper bond between God and the universality of creation, with
the attempt to define the construct of life into words which fall short
of justification and full embodiment of nature, beauty, and wisdom.
Tolle understands what is is to live, Hopkins only tries to grasp life
in definitive construct.
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