Sense of Place
Note: This topic was mentioned during the call but not discussed in depth.
Eve Blossom introduced "sense of place" as connected to curiosity.
Eve's Contribution
Jerry Michalski captured:
"Eve: curiosity + sense of place, to keep it alive"
Victoria (Spain) added it to the Excalidraw board:
"@Eve Blossom I added your sense of place to the whiteboard. You can elaborate there if you want"
What Sense of Place Means
While Eve didn't elaborate fully during the call, sense of place typically involves:
- Physical connection to a specific location
- Embodied relationship with environment
- Attentiveness to where you are
- Care for a particular place
- Rootedness rather than abstraction
Connection to Curiosity
The relationship suggested:
- Curiosity about where you are keeps you alive (engaged, present)
- Place-based curiosity grounds abstract inquiry
- You must care about place to be curious about it
- Sense of place might sustain curiosity over time
Relationship to Etymology
This connects powerfully to Etymology of Curiosity - curiosity as care:
If to be curious is to care enough to pay attention, then:
- Sense of place = caring attention to location
- Without place-grounding, curiosity becomes abstract
- Losing sense of place might weaken curiosity
Somatic Connection
Sense of place is inherently embodied, linking to Somatic Experiencing:
- Your body is always somewhere
- Somatic Experiencing tunes into bodily experience
- Sense of place connects body to environment
- Together they create embodied curiosity
Implications
If sense of place sustains curiosity:
- Does placelessness of modern life dampen curiosity?
- Can virtual spaces create sense of place?
- Does travel enhance or diminish place-based curiosity?
- Is local knowledge a form of curiosity?
Environmental Context
Given Gil Friend's sustainability work and Eve's emphasis, sense of place might relate to:
- Environmental awareness
- Ecological literacy
- Bioregionalism
- Care for specific ecosystems
Related Concepts
- Somatic Experiencing
- Embodied Curiosity
- Etymology of Curiosity
- Care and Attention
- Presence
- Place-Based Learning