What an evening it was. After a long and stressful week at the office, I finally made my way to the mountains for a much-needed, relaxed weekend. My eyes eagerly sought out those majestic green hills, while the air grew fresher and colder, pushing away the city's dust from my lungs. As the car slowed down on the steep, it felt as if it was urging me to take it slow, to live every moment. The music shifted to classical tunes from loud raps, and I could feel myself transforming to become someone entirely different.
After a long drive, I pulled over at a roadside stop to take some pictures and grab a bite. An old man was selling a variety of street food, so I smiled and ordered a few items. As he prepared my food, I struck up a conversation. “There’s been a lot of development in the past few years, especially with the roads, hasn’t there?” I said. He smiled but remained silent. Stunned, I continued, “It’s so much easier to get here now. With the upcoming project, it’ll be even easier once it’s expanded to four lanes.” I waited for some acknowledgment, but he just kept smiling, leaving me disappointed and curious.
I couldn’t resist asking, “You don’t seem happy with this development, do you?” His smile became more quirky. “Development?” he replied. “Where do you see it? What you call development, I see as destruction. To make these mountains more accessible, they’re cutting them down. To escape city life, they’re creating more cities. We humans fail to draw the fine line between progress and devastation.” His words left me speechless.
Are we truly loving nature the way we should? We seek peace in nature, but are we allowing nature to remain at peace? What will become of these mountains once those four lanes are carved into them? They give us fresh air, relaxed time and much-needed peace while all we give back is plastic bottles and wrappers. Nature knows only how to give, and it will keep giving even if we take everything from it. But we need to ask ourselves, where will we turn when there’s nothing left to take? Where will we go for peace then?
