On Gratitude
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As I sit in a Boston Pizza atthe Edmonton Airport watching the sun set in the horizon of the Alberta plains, a mixed feeling of sadness and excitement fills my heart. As I wait for my garlic shrimp spaghetti to arrive, I decide to write about gratitude.
On my last essay, I failed to express my gratitude towards all that has happened in my life this far. All the ups and downs, obstacles and successes, laughs and cries, were perfectly aligned to get me to this moment. If we practiced looking at our lives’ geography from a birds-eye view, we would be able to see that all the mountains, rivers, creeks and ponds form a perfect landscape that we can easily navigate through as we move through the journey of life. This perspective also allows us to see that there are oases over the desert’s horizon and if we just endure through the heat of the sun for a little longer, we will reach the oasis and sit under the shade of palm trees drinking a glass of cold water.
I am especially thankful for all of the people that have crossed my path up to this moment. Over the past couple of days you have shared beautiful words of kindness about me, often leaving me at a loss for words in trying to express my appreciation for them. However, what I would like you to know is that each and every one of you is partially responsible for the person I have become. Every conversation, every exchange, have taught me invaluable lessons about you and I, which are one and the same. We are indeed mirrors to one another, meaning that every beautiful thing you have said about me is also true about you. It also means that every time we say not-so-beautiful words about someone, those are reflections of our own shadows. Thus, I am thankful for all of those who have inspired and angered me, for, in the end, these are all assisting me in my path of self-realization.
Another incredible teacher I must thank is Gaia, our Mother Nature. As Nietzsche once put it, “the worst thing is to doubt what the Earth wants.” In our anthropocentric view of the world, we have come to believe that Homo sapiens are the only intelligent species on Earth, making us blind and deaf to the teachings of our mother and siblings. The result: mass extinction, climate change, epidemics, antibiotic-resistant bacteria, overpopulation, the list goes on. It is time we open our eyes and ears, and admit that we do not have all the answers. Nevertheless, I am optimistic for I believe in our ability to adapt, to create and to transform. If we join the rest of our siblings in a symbiotic relationship with our mother, we can heal together. I am immensely thankful to have been taught about beauty, symbiosis and love, simply by being open while spending time in nature.
Earlier today, I biked to a magical glacial river that rolls down the mountains of North Vancouver through enchanted forests, creeks and canyons. I wanted to spend my “last day” in the place that reminded me that magic exists; you just have to have your eyes and heart open to see it. These magical places contain all the answers one is searching for; the river speaks to those who are open to listening to it.
Our linear, often reductionist mindset is what stops us from seeing this magic, we were taught to believe that Nature works in a mechanistic manner rather than a creative, fluid, one. This is why science has become so mechanistic itself in trying to explain natural phenomena. I am getting a little far from gratitude, but I would like to share Stephan Harding’s view on what is called Holistic Science:
“Holistic science sees humans not as objective observers, but as participatory “experiencers” radically embedded in the world. Intrinsic value is explicitly recognized, and knowledge is seen as a means for increasing a sense of belonging to nature, rather than solely as a means for its control. This mode of science accepts lack of complete predictability as a key feature of a creative universe… Intuition is explicitly developed as a method for embracing scientific enquiry through paying close attention to the consistency of feelings and intuitions which come up amongst a group of scientists during their investigations… Participatory holistic science is more than just an intellectual stance — it involves a radical shift in our fundamental perception of nature. The shift is primarily experiential rather than intellectual.”
A shift in perception of nature, ourselves, and our relationship is a necessary step for guaranteeing our survival as a species and to free ourselves from the suffering that comes from the erroneous idea that we are an ego with a name and a story, separate from all the rest. But again, this is a topic for a future post.
To conclude, I would like to restate my gratitude to all of you, my brothers and sisters, to our mother Nature, and our father Spirit, Universe, God. May you find your path, your passion and your heart. Let your light shine bright to illuminate the hearts of those who live in darkness, so they can also find the light within themselves.
