While sitting inside my mud hut the other day, I came across this passage in the book The Worm Ouroboros by E.R. Eddison. It caught my attention, and after reading over it several times, I realized that it has described (in far more eloquent words) exactly the sense of humbleness I feel when gazing out at the plains of the Sahelien bush. Here's the passage:
"Surely...the great mountains of the world would serve as a present remedy if man did but know it against our modern discontent and ambitions. In the hills is wisdom's fount. They are deep in time. They know the sun and the wind, the lightning's fiery feet, the frost that shattereth, the rain that cloudeth, the snow that putteth about their nakedness a coverlet softer than a fine lawn: which in their large philosophy question not whether it be a bridal sheet or a shroud, hath not this unpolicied calm his justification ever in the coming year, and is it not instance to laugh our carefulness out of fashion? of us, little children of the dust, children of a day, who with so many burdens do burden us with taking thought, and with fears and desires and devious schemings of the mind, so that we wax old before our time and grow weary ere the brief day be spent and one reaping-hook gather us home at last for all our pains." - Lord Gro, Chapter XXV of The Worm Ouroboros
In short, this passage begs the question, Why should we allow ourselves to get so caught up in the mundane? Up against the everlasting beauty of this world we live in, what do our trivial, day-to-day problems really matter? So what if I couldn't find bread at the market this week? So what if my neighbor's toddler pooped on my bed? Tomorrow is always another dawn, and all things have their due course. Enjoy this moment while we can, for it will never come again.
Unless, of course, you are a Time Agent or own a Tardis, in which case a little temporal displacement never hurt anyone.... ;)
'Til next time,
Mich
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