A Native American Proverb goes like this:
“Everything
on Earth is borrowed….
There is no ‘mine…or yours…there is only
ours.’
Even time is borrowed. We kill over a plot of
land that belongs only to our Mother Earth. All you have is what you came with
and what you will leave with: Your Spirit.”
As I read this I felt peace and serenity. The world of real
space and nature, space for us to enjoy, feel, sense, smell, touch. And wonder
about. A world much larger than self, something we do not and cannot control.
The world is filled with individuals and their spirits as
well. We don’t control them or their spirits. And they do not control us or our
spirits. The soil, air, water, plants, sun, moon and stars. All there for some
purpose and our wonder. Not for us to control. Or fully possess for that
matter.
From this conceptual framework come other thoughts, all
peaceful. Such as:
“Before
you assume, learn the facts.
Before you judge, understand why.
Before you hurt someone, feel.
Before you speak, think.” ~Anonymous
Take a deep breath. Learn, understand, fell and think. Pause
for serenity; for balance. Calm. In our busy day do this and restore balance
and peace in your life. Like imagining yourself standing alone in open spaces
slowly turning to view the vista before you. Like a mountain range, a vast
canyon land, open desert, vast horizons of ocean. A starry, starry night with
deep blue/black skies embracing a zillion points of star light.
Another thought to ponder:
“A
child is like a butterfly in the wind.
Some can fly higher than others,
But each one flies the best it can.
Why compare on against the other?
Each one is different.
Each one is special.
Each one is beautiful.” ~Author Unknown
Like a butterfly…conjuring an image of light, diaphanous and
flittering. Peaceful image, no? A moment of nature and all of her beings in the
universe? Childlike innocence. And happiness. Acceptance. A being in nature,
equal in stature with all else. Serenity.
Another quote that captures my imagination:
“The
quieter you become, the more you are able to hear…”
~LifeTastesWell.com
The Zen like acceptance of life seems consistent with Native
American culture and inner thinking. Perhaps it is the natural setting of what
we think of as Indian land and space in the American southwest. But American
Indians were not native just to that region. They were native also to woodlands
all over the north and southeast of the North American continent. They were
seaside dwellers in the Carolinas and Florida .
They were Gulf of Mexico natives, too. Up and
down the Mississippi River they called home.
They adapted to their surroundings, accepted them, and lived fully within them.
They survived hardships. They worshiped the otherness of the spiritual world.
They accept their own skin and life.
Why can’t we modern Americans do the same? Are we so
separated from our roots of nature to embrace only the man-made chaos we name
civilization? Where did we go wrong? What does the American Indian have to
teach us? After all these years? In spite of our injustice to them?
Perhaps we need to become quiet and hear the world around
us…..
April 17, 2014
and many of them were also very much at war with each other. most groups that aligned themselves with white immigrants did so in hopes of achieving more power against native enemies.
ReplyDeletethe land was vast and many of their civilizations used an area until it was used up, and then moved on. hence all those empty city settlements like Cahokia. ever wonder how they controlled how many buffalo died in the drive over the cliff? they didn't. hundreds of surplus were left to rot.
they were like civilizations around the world, some with working philosophies and practices, most with exploitative ones, both towards the land and toward each other. no better, no worse. romanticizing them does no one any favors and white guilt serves no purpose.
there are many books out there that you can read on real native american anthropology if you are interested.