Emerson's "Nature"

"To speak truly, few adult persons can see nature. Most persons do not see the sun. At least they have a very superficial seeing. The sun illuminates only the eye of the man, but shines into the eye and the heart of the child. The lover of nature is he whose inward and outward senses are still truly adjusted to each other; who has retained the spirit of infancy even into the era of manhood. His intercourse with heaven and earth, becomes part of his daily food." -from "Nature" by Ralph Waldo Emerson 

This passage by Emerson and the general tone of "Nature" reminds me of Bellah's argument about paying attention.  Emerson points out how as we get older and learn more, we forget about nature's presence and become less and less aware of it and its beauty, effects, etc.  This contrasts greatly with when we're children and we amazed by every new discovery in the world around us.  It's interesting because Bellah points out the "indifference of the youth to the world around them."  Emerson believes adults are the ones who don't acknowledge nature's presence.  This also reminds me of Thoreau's comparison of people to the railroad ties' nickname, "sleepers."  He also saw people becoming less and less conscious of the world around them, especially the spiritual virtues in life.  I think these men would greatly agree with each other if they were in conversation and Bellah could point out how young people seem less "awake" than the adults that Emerson believed were ignorant of the world they lived in .