Consider it a poem

Impervious surfaces are a man-made construct which disconnect us from the organic way of life. ‘Way’ in a literal sense; the way we flatten the surfaces we dwell on and the paths we travel by foot and vehicle is akin to the way we flatten our expected path and dwellings in life. The ground unaltered by man is irregular with various lumps and microclimates, and that varied terrain is more like the emotional terrain we encounter in our lives. We form expectations that the emotional terrain we will experience shall be level and predictable, like the paved surfaces we build, but this expectation is often unmet because it is not the true terrain of this world.
The analogy between physical terrain and emotional terrain has other examples too, however occulted, which can be revealed with further reflection.
One example is the terrain of learning. With our man-made constructs we learn through steps which lead to doorways; like walking along a path and turning to climb steps up to a door to enter a house. Within a man-made ‘house of knowledge’ there are various doors and maybe even different dwellings, like apartments that share the same floor or maybe take climbing further steps to access. With the terrain unaltered by man we see a different analogous ‘way’ of learning. In the wild our paths are much freer, likely to be irregular and progress in a very organic way unique to each individual’s conditions. There are certainly some points higher than others, but these high points on the path of knowledge are different than that of the man-made way. One may find a slope and climb it, persevering through all its topographic and other challenges. It is unlikely to find a ‘closed room’ in this wild space, yet as one climbs the mountains of knowledge, there will be precipices and plateaus one may peak at. If one climbs further, beyond the ‘false peaks’ that offer what some call ‘half-truths’ on the path of knowledge, one may reach a true peak with the highest view on that individual mountain; the mountain offers a 360 degree view freely from this point to all who earn it. As the mountain gives the view and the traveler takes it, we can remember that some things good alone are better experienced together, and this inspires thoughts of sharing knowledge and experience. A whole different set of analogous lessons is available on that point, by considering how conductance of power works in electrical engineering and how that may be akin to our own personal power and relationship with the force(s) of life in this world.

We stand and step upon surfaces with our unique bare feet or with various forms of footwear. Our shoes echo the correspondences of physical terrain to emotional terrain: the majority of humanity in the industrial world wear shoes with thick soles. These soles simultaneously elevate our heel and also buffer it from the surface it stands upon. Our heels, which stand upon those soles and which those soles force our gate to emphasize, are akin to our root or foundation. Emotionally, I see our heels and root or foundation as akin to our primal nature, centered on survival. Accordingly the majority of humanity in the industrial world emphasizes primal nature in its gate, both elevating and buffering it. Take for example the role thirst, hunger, fear, sexual desire, and the need for comfort: these qualities are both elevated and yet also buffered, leading our society to subconsciously be controlled by those qualities while also concealing them in our subconscious with all its ocean-like attributes (waves, tides, various depths, etc.) Aside from just heels, our lifestyles and relationships with the ground affect our toes. Our toes are analogous to our more sensitive aspects, but I will let readers explore the correspondences for themselves.
On the topic of shoes in this analogous thinking, it is worth noting though that shoes offer traction and can be very helpful, particularly in the wild. Thus we see that it is foolish to outright deny the world of man-made terrain in its various forms. Being mindful of how our man-made terrain affects us, though, can help us lead lives in greater harmony with the true flow of life through space and time.

This is an idea which dawned on me and I felt like sharing it. May it help reveal some virtues of analogous thinking, of walking in the wild, and of mind. Surely though it is not a perfect correspondence, and to some it may appear a more flawed theory than to others – so the terrain goes when walking through the woods.

Peace, peace, peace, One Love