Lyrical in its Essence, Tragic in its Fate

This is what I believe.

      I was born in New Jersey. In a city of broken glass on the concrete and cigarette smoke, of Reggaeton and R&B music, of firecrackers lighting up the night and barely a star in the sky. The city is a place of few trees and barely any grass. The absence of nature was evident, although we had a peach tree (it stopped producing fruit) and various edible wild berry trees in our backyard. When I moved to Maryland at the age of 10, I was overwhelmed but fascinated by all the trees and grass and plants. I began to explore the creek near my house, either with friends or alone.

      Walking home from school one day, I went to one of the creeks near my house to take photographs. It was a bright, sunny, late-Spring day. Sunlight bounced off the water to create the most aesthetically inspiring effect, and despite the sound of the cars driving down the road, I felt alone in the world. This is the closest I’ve felt to any religion. 

            It seemed so simple to me that most ancient civilizations based their religions upon the gods from nature, and not humans. They saw we most in our world do not see anymore, what I saw that day: that nature in itself is something sacred or heavenly, something to be worshipped if anything is worshipped at all, and that we should not turn our backs on it.

            I am not the typical “tree hugger” and I am not the most environmentally aware person, but I do believe in nature. I believe in the flowers and the trees, and the beauty of it all. The transcendentalists were right, as were the Native Americans who believed in the land, and Buddhism. Through nature we can find our individual selves, and become enlightened or find our nirvana.

            The power of nature is greater than the power of mankind; we are born of nature. We have no right to destroy it. I believe in its power.