(The ending of Timebends, Arthur Miller’s autobiography. He concludes with an image of wolves on his Connecticut rural property.)
“In the darkness out there they see my light and pause, muzzles lifted, wondering who I am and what I am doing here in this cabin under my light. I am a mystery to them until they tire of it and move on, but the truth, the first truth, probably, is that we are all connected, watching one another. Even the trees.”
Indeed, if you have ever been to a party, a concert, a meeting, or some other social gathering, then you know the truth of Miller’s words. We are for a brief time, in the same space and potentially, ephemerally connected. And everyone observes and watches everyone else. And imagines and draws their various impressions and conclusions.