moisture--either in the sea or， as here， in the damp earth， or<br >on the yolk of an egg， or in the fluids of the womb? In the<br >womb， when the united cells multiply to the point where some-<br >thing that one could call consciousness infuses them， the whole<br >development of the new organism continues to take place in<br >that total， invisible immediacy of the environment which is the<br >nature of fluid， which leaves no crack unentered， no surface<br >unembraced.<br > Until birth we had no experience of distance: of the possi-<br >bility of falling， of the sound of something not adjacent to us，<br >of warmth either coming to us or going from us. No wonder<br >that on entering the world outside we clutched at the breast，<br >with its soft tissues like our own， and breathed the strange air<br >more easily when held and enveloped in mother s arms.<br > In this new world， it was for the first time possible--indeed，<br >necessary--to be alone: mother might be here or absent.<br >Gradually， new-found doors began opening. Sounds came and<br >went， which little by little could be related to phenomena out-<br >side ourselves~ smells likewise; what we touched， and what<br ><br >