Think+Like+a+Mountain

=Participants were asked "What does it mean to Think Like a Mountain?"=

John: Is to feel the pulsing pressures of every water spring, and every tree root crackling...stretching itself outward from the base of every tree...every shrub..every sprig of moss; to feel the weight of every stone, wind-swept crevice and every rolling grain that caresses the bones of His mantle. To sense every hoof step, fish’s tail, writhing caddis fly in the weighted ponds of His flesh. ..and to contemplate it all and be happy.

To think like a mountain means to not think at all...the thinking is up to those that live on it.

Paul:

Ida Beth:

Christine:

Nayi:

Jennifer: On Thinking like a Mountain:

What does the mountain think? I am considering yesterday, when the highlands were so overfilled with deer, and I wonder, where are the wolves? Where are the ecosystem’s predators that keep the population of deer in check? I wonder if the mountain knows what is wrong, can pinpoint the problems. Or does the mountain just know that life is out of balance? Regardless, does the mountain think it needs to wait until the people who have destroyed it are gone before it can find itself again, or does the mountain think that humans can be tamed?

Matt: To think like a mountain is to see through the trigger-happy adolescence of the managerial fix, to become attuned to the dying of the green fire, indeed not to think at all in the human sense, but to manifest balance in one's very being.

Sue: To think like a mountain is to be strong and solid and be able to withstand all the elements and still survive. We learn from the mountain as we pass through as visitors on Earth.

Athea: A mountain has been here for thousands of years. It does no damage to the earth.We humans should do what we can to also be here for many years. A mountain is like a huge silent giant. It remains powerful without needing to be destructive or noisy. A mountain provides for the many animals and plants that live on it. We humans should also provide for the many animals and plants that live with us on this planet. A mountain has a panoramic view, able to see much of the landscape surrounding it. We, like the mountain should truly look at the vital earth around us. We should use our panoramic view to review our past, live our present, and work to ensure a future.

Kathy: To think like a mountain means to be aware of the cycles of life and how we are all inter-related and dependent on each other. We are all nature and part of the natural world in which we live.

Patricia: Think like a mountain. Take a long-term look at the environment as a series of interdependent links that combine to form a beautiful wild world. A mountain is more than its physical structure. It is a foundation of possibilities. Mountains love wolves- their power and gusto for life as they fulfill their place in its universe. Think like a mountain. Watch-Feel-Live in its abundance.

Eva: To think like a mountain means that even though you can't move a mountain, yet you can change its character over a period of time. The weather erosion, the animal migration, the overpopulation, and the limited resources for its inhabitants are all examples of how the mountain even though seems constant, can and indeed does change.

Bibi:

Suzanne:

Rebecca:

Kelly: Perhaps "thinking like a mountain" means to think nature-centered, instead of thinking in a human or self-centered way. To think of nature, to be one with nature, and to see things through nature's eyes. After all, we must remind ourselves if our efforts in environmentalism are benefitting the planet, or if they are simply benefitting ourselves (humans) who live on the planet for a short while. If we think like a mountain, we can think in nature's perspective and better benefit the earth through our daily efforts.

Denise:

Thinking like a mountain requires a long-term approach to both decisions and actions. Mountains erode and and move slowly over the years. Their strength is determined by what they hold onto, not what they let go. Trees keep the soil, the core substance or essence of the mountain, from eroding and, as such, must be valued and maintained. If, as humans, we echo this long-term approach, we must determine what is key to our long-term success and work vigorously to maintain it else we imperil our lives. Certainly, cataclysmic events may force changes to our path, but just as mountains adjust to rock falls and avalanches with slow, measured change, so must we keep the long-term in mind. Nonetheless, the immovability of a mountain dictates living with uncertainty and risk. Sudden wildfires from lightning and animal byproducts both seemingly result in ugliness yet ultimately allow for renewal. We as humans must become comfortable and value those temporary activities that, while uncomfortable, ultimately benefit us in the long run. We must accept the rotten spots on tomatoes, the bugs in our clean water, and the restrictions on the freely-polluting activities we've enjoyed in the past. Like a mountain that hordes its gold beneath, we must be willing to allow our treasures to remain safely ensconced in the earth or risk unsettling our future. Ours is a brief history on Earth, and we would be well-served to think like a mountain and act for the long future ahead of us.