Forest Light, Primeval Thought

The Earth is 4.6 billion years old, and our own species, Homo sapiens, came into the scene at about 200,000 years ago. While the early hominins, our evolutionary ancestors, were tree-dwellers, we have adapted to live in the open grassland. Forest is no longer a hospitable environment for us: A foray into the woods, off the beaten path, could turn into an unpleasant journey if we are not suitably clothed. Yet forest remains a mystery and an attraction to many of us. We may wonder what thoughts would dawn on the first humans, however feeble their consciousness may be, when they looked back into the forest, their ancestral land.