One of the best decisions I have ever made, other than convincing my wife to marry me, was to buy a vacation getaway home in South Carolina. We travel there is much as possible because being near the ocean can really and truly change one’s perspective about life. Walking along the beach or simply setting in a beach chair and watching the ocean is a great deal like looking up at the stars in a clear, unpopulated, night sky.
The ocean however, as the advantage of the melodic rhythms of the tides. Anyone who spends much time by the sea begins to realize just how small human beings are in the great scheme of things anyway. Mankind likes to beat its chest and pronounce that it has discovered this or that, built this or that great monument or edifice as though there was nothing else on the planet or in the universe.
The therapy that the ocean and the nighttime sky provide is to really put into perspective just how unimportant mankind really is. There are hundreds of thousands, probably millions of creatures that populate not only the oceans but the land as well. There are billions of planets and stars in the sky, some of which I’m sure have some kind of like forms of their own, yet mankind still beats its proverbial chest and says “I am the master of all I survey”. The sheer magnitude of the ocean and the sky and the millions and billions of stars make me believe for one that mankind could be likened to simply one big ant farm somewhere.
One of the things the ocean teaches me is that there is a planet and universe so vast and so complex, for mankind to think for one second there is not a divine creator and purpose to it all that we will never be able to understand, is ludicrous. The ocean teaches me that no matter what I may think are problems, in the great scheme of things they are like a grain of sand in the ocean. I get a sense of serenity and clarity, and I take away a sense of purpose to live my life cherishing the only thing that mankind has that’s really important and that is faith, family, freedom and friends.
Here’s hoping that God will lead you to a place where you can find what I have found simply by being next to the ocean and listening to its lessons.
God bless…
One response
Oh how I love getting out into the woods as well as getting close to the ocean. I share your sentiments on most counts. I cherish the sound of the water, the way the light changes and the smell of that ocean air, all are nothing short of cleansing and rejuvenating. I especially love being near the ocean during off season; it just adds to my enjoyment and boosts my appreciation for the things “that are really important.”