Life as a Part of Nature
Photo by Grace Lee
Written by Sahmun Khim
Our human race has spread its life from the ocean to grasslands, hills and mountains for a long stretch of time. As evidence, our body is composed of seventy percent water and its salt concentration is similar to the ocean’s. Standing on the wide open beach watching the relentless waves, some people might bring up all kinds of thinking. Just being there as a part of nature on the spot, they might imagine something different from their own world beyond the ocean. The aspiration for an ideal world, which is buried under the basis of humankind, is one of the impetuses for people to move. They have moved for the better lives, gold or the trust that the earth is round, or some against the difficulty that places them an intolerable situation under the established order. Such an impetus for moving has made this world small one. Now people’s moving is to fill up the desire of taking a trip. Travel plays an important role as a recharger for people who live busy lives in current times. To this end, Grace Lee who is a travel guide and photographer leads us to wonderful world. Let’s travel to South America, which will give you a breath of fresh air.
The water originated in the Andes Plateau forms small streams along the mountains, makes waterfalls and lakes of valleys, meets rivers, and eventually runs into the Pacific Ocean or the Atlantic Ocean. The Andes, the cradle of the Inca civilization, is grandly stretching itself from the north and to south over the South America Continent. Deep and secluded, it forms the largest rain forest in the world, Amazon to the Atlantic, and embraces the beautiful coastline to the Pacific. This is one of many civilizations in the deep Andes. Machu Picchu in Peru is one of them. Machu Picchu, in harmony with its natural setting, makes viewers exclaim with admiration. Looking at this “lost city” of the Incas, Machu Picchu is believed to have been built as an estate for the Inca emperor Pachacuti (1438?1472), you can find their wisdom and insight at every place. Especially its harmonizing with nature raises the alarm to the modern civilization that has serious destructive power.
Now, let’s go after the trace of this secret city in the air. Look at the stones which embraced the majestic sights with the human’s hearts. Cropland and the residential area on the hillside are supported by delicately processed stones, which are piled on top of one another. Before this site was discovered, the people who had lived there must be in awe of the universe. The sharp peaks, surrounding the ruins, speak for the heart of the Incas’ praying for the sacred heaven. And they would have designed Machu Picchu looking after the Andes. How did they construct delicately such heavy dozens of tons of stones so tightly fitted that a piece of paper even cannot go through? Furthermore their culture was not based on iron, nevertheless it is unquestionable that they did such fine work. It can feel the spirit and wisdom of the Incas for people to see the whole remains designed organically as a part of nature. According to the study, over ten thousands residents could be supplied with the main food, corns by controlling the flow of water. The clouds became a rain, and the rain soaked the croplands and supplied them water to drink. Those Incas’ remains have been exhibited in Yale University. Since Hiram Bingham who was a history professor and archeologist explored this site with a farmer’s guiding in 1911, Machu Picchu has become generally known in this world. This site had been excavated by him and his team since then, and all of the remains were brought to USA. Now let’s leave from this mystical city and go down to the valleys.
Behind high peaks of the Andes, the way gently curves through the colorful green field. As if the field is embroidered with the various green quilts on the gently rolling hills in the high plateau, the view has the sense of stability. The water from the Andes passes through rugged valleys and wets the full fields. It brings abundance to people nestled here. The native people have adjusted well the way of their lives to the process of the life cycle in the Andes for thousands of years. They have developed their own lifestyle as not to destroy the link in the cycle of nature but to be a part of nature. We might find the answer to solve the current problem of environmental destruction from their lifestyle.
At last the water from the Andes reaches the wide oceans. In the cyclic process of nature it comes back to source. The reason why the appearance of the sea changes at every moment is that our mind always changes. Actually not only the mind brings something new but also nature is constantly changing. At the same spot when you view the scene that you have watched a couple of months ago, the sight in detail is different from the past one even though it looks roughly the same. As time goes on, everything is changed because of the laws of nature, which is the process of being born, old, sick and dead. But even in this change there is an everlasting one. It is a belief and love for man. No matter where we are beyond time and space, we cannot give it up because the belief and love for man is our fate. Love makes the nature we belong to noble. As a part of nature, our lives are the process of trust, love and harmony with someone. As it repeats that the ocean water evaporates, becomes a rain and returns to the Andes, we can keep a harmonious life with nature as long as we are deeply conscious of a humble existence as a part of nature. This is the message that Grace Lee tries to show through this journey.
