the cosmic dance of shiva
"the road to the promised land runs past sinai." c.s. lewis
spending as much time outdoors as i do each summer, gives me particular pause and a sense of awe for creation. a reverence for the imaginative novelty God paints for us with each new day.
yet, too, side by side - there is death. intermingled with the life, and inextricably tangled with the fresh and the new, are the scents and signs of extinction.
and no matter how we battle or struggle what is simply part and parcel, the simple fact remains: we cannot have one without the other.
in 1988, over a third of yellowstone national park burned due to a lightening strike. tragic as this was, it was man's hand that led to its catastrophe - and man's hand that allowed it as well. i'll explain . . .
prior to 1972, the park service fought every fire. whether due to nature or man, each outbreak was quickly contained and extinguished. may sound reasonable . . . until you realize the overgrowth and abundance of woody fuel put the forest at its most vulnerable and flammable stage. and ripe for the disaster of 1988.
so, on august 20th of that year, nature prevailed despite our interference. but this time, lesson learned and we did not contain. though its questionable whether we even could have had we tried. the fact remains, insatiable flames would devour the park until the rains and snow would eventually dismiss nearly 2 months later.
"man's conquest of nature turns out, in the moment of its consummation, to be nature's conquest of man." c.s. lewis
truth is, fire is essential for the maintenance of an ecosystem. not evil or a force to be conquered - but actually vital and indispensable.
i admit, endings are difficult for me . . . and i will go to great lengths to avoid. i thrive on the novel and the new, while slowing significantly towards any completion.
as i tour colleges with my daughter this summer, i am aware of both my exhilaration . . . AND my hesitation. this exciting new phase of life she is about to embark is only made possible by the close of another chapter. one in which i am prominent . . . and yes <sigh> . . . . reluctant.
for we must realize that within the demise and wreckage, lay the seeds of promise for a grand and bright new future.
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
more scenes from our summer . . . and our final week out west:
Posted by peg mulqueen at 8/4/2009 9:30 AM 
Categories: zen,hope,discovery
Tags: yellowstone national park lord shiva death and rebirth fire of 1988
Categories: zen,hope,discovery
Tags: yellowstone national park lord shiva death and rebirth fire of 1988
Comments