People are animals, evolved on a wild planet. Yet, in recent generations, the majority of human life is experienced apart from nature.
Under the COVID-19 pandemic, this separation from the natural world was amplified as people were told to stay inside their homes, to shelter in place to prevent transmission of the virus as much as possible. Humanity turned inward, and became even more sedentary. Social life was reduced to what could fit onto a digital screen.
Nonetheless, the larger world did not go away.
There is a feeling we get when the skies grow dark during the day, when the winds pick up, and lightning cracks us awake. We may still stand inside, but the drama of the weather outside compels our attention. The rain falls, thoughtless of us. The storm reminds us of our smallness in comparison to our planet.
This is the emotion of chrysalism, the pleasant feeling triggered from watching a thunderstorm while standing safe and dry inside. It is related to cave syndrome, the fear of emerging from our little worlds, but distinct. While cave syndrome focuses on the perceived risks of being outside, chrysalism focuses on the pleasures of being inside.
Chrysalism makes us feel as if we are contained in a transparent cocoon, protected from the violence of the world outside, yet estranged from the direct experience of it. We long for the outside, so long as it’s at a distance, something outside of our lives. Perhaps, in time, we will be ready to emerge, but not yet. It feels nice and snug in the little worlds we have spun for ourselves.
