Phish in Nature

I did a lot of traveling over my break. I flew into Charlotte, and got a lovely view of the melting snow from the freak storm they had the day before. I drove to Charleston and watched Spanish moss, hanging from the giant trees growing over graves, swaying in the light breeze. My break ended in Richmond, where I was surprised by the vestiges of fall that still clung, as multi-colored leaves, to the deciduous trees as we rolled on towards spring. All of my experiences of observing nature and the world around me culminated, as did my break, with the Phish reunion at Hampton Coliseum on Saturday.
I love Wordsworth’s “The world is too much with us” because it is the acknowledgement of the things I abhor about modern humanity. People are so focused on consuming and making sure they get their fair share that they miss everything else around them. They are only aware of themselves and their needs. This is also why I love Phish concerts. It is impossible to be “out of tune”. In the explosion of sound and people, there is a unity that sneaks up on you in the middle of a huge jam, when you catch the lights and the rhythm in just the right way. The commonality between you and the hundreds of people surrounding you gently dawns on you in a break in the crowd when you can see straight to the band on stage. You didn't come from the same place and are going different places, but for the moment you are all sharing one experience, and fundamentally the same. It’s not quite the same as experiencing the joy of nature contained in a miniature rosebud or the power revealed in a raging storm, but it is a glimpse into the nature of humanity.