Reason Enough to Be

The great master artist, Leonardo da Vinci felt the artist had a special advantage when it came to realizing the most complete and magnificent view of the infinite works of nature. If the artist wishes “to produce places or deserts, or shady or cool spots in hot weather, he can depict them. … If he seeks valleys, if he wants to disclose great expanses of countryside from the summits of mountains, and if he subsequently wishes to see the horizon of the sea, he is lord of all of them.”

Pondering on the words of Da Vinci, we find ourselves being of the same mind with respect to nature and its ability to enthrall. Whether seen through the artist’s vision or the naked eye, nature, in all its manifestations, brings with it an intoxication that is difficult to ignore. That intoxication, that stirring in the soul, is reason enough to be.