through the wings
This presents a world where events are not isolated, but are constantly influencing and giving rise to one another.
Relationality and Interconnectedness
Process philosophy, particularly the work of Alfred North Whitehead, argues that reality is a web of relationships, where everything is what it is because of its connection to everything else. The haiku beautifully illustrates this. "Morning light" is not a separate, static thing; it's a new "actual occasion" that emerges "through" the "wings of life." The wings and the light are not distinct objects, but part of a single, continuous process. The image suggests that life—its motion, its activity, its very essence—is the medium through which the light appears. This is a rejection of a substance-based ontology, where things are seen as independent entities, and an embrace of a relational ontology, where a thing's identity is defined by its role in a larger, unfolding process.
Process and Change
The haiku focuses on the action of "coming to be" rather than the state of "being." The morning light doesn't just "exist;" it "emerges through" something. This dynamic language highlights the fundamental process of change that is at the heart of reality for a process philosopher. The universe is seen not as a collection of fixed objects but as a continuous creative advance into novelty. The light is new, a product of the ongoing, forward-moving process of life. The very act of the light passing through the wings symbolizes a transition, a moment of becoming that is constantly giving birth to a new reality. The haiku, in its brevity and focus on a moment of transition, perfectly captures this core tenet of process philosophy.
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