Written by I’ve spent the last week on a spectacular cruise down the coast of Alaska – starting in Seward and finishing in Vancouver where we disembark tomorrow. What has struck me most during this experience – aside from the beauty of the surroundings – is the realization of how very small we are. This isn’t a negative, but merely a recognition of how vast is the big blue marble on which we round the sun every year.
It sounds cliche, but it is hard not to think it when you see majestic mountains everywhere and you see vast bodies of water as well. Spend the afternoon whale watching, and your size is put into perspective by the graceful and elegant movements of the sizable whales and marine wildlife that swim beneath and around you. Every now and then you see a jellyfish floating by in the water and realize how small they, too, must feel.
Looking at a map or a globe and seeing the vast amounts of water that cover the earth is one thing, but it is difficult to conceptualize until you stand next to the ocean or begin to contemplate the millions of uninhabited landscape that is Alaska.
On the one hand, referred to as ‘Seward’s Folly’ due to the perplexity regarding why the US purchased Alaska – and, on the other hand, realizing that the folly may have been on Russia deciding to sell the strategic land on the North American continent. The proximity and placement to the Russian landmass across Asia is not lost on anyone spending time in this northern state.
Aside from the contemplation regarding how small and insignificant we are as a human race in terms of the relationship of our size to overall nature, as one takes in the majestic beauty and learns of the intricacies of the ecosystem it is difficult to not believe in the intelligent design behind our little corner of the world and where it fits into the universe. It is too hard for me to believe that it is a matter of ‘accidental’ fortune. While I believe in the evolution over time, I also believe that it had to start somewhere and isn’t random.
Regardless of your beliefs regarding the origin or creation, it is difficult to feel anything but small when standing amongst the vast and rugged beauty that is Alaska. I am blessed and fortunate for having been able to experience this very special place and the gift that it has been to my life is not lost on me.
