"To experience, to engage, to endeavor, rather than to watch and to wonder — that's where the real meat of life is to be found." - Ben Saunders, Polar Explorer
The South-american tapir or Tapirus terrestris has a very unique figure. This is largely due to its prehensile gripping trunk. Although very odd-looking, it serves a selective purpose. The trunk is very helpful for gripping and eating hard to reach and tough jungle fruits. It also produces an array of trumpeting sounds as a means of communication:
In a sense, juvenile tapirs are even more specialized than they adults. Much like a baby dear, they are born with striped fur-coats for camouflage purposes in the dense jungle under-brush where they live.
Remind you of a pig? Think again. The tapir is closely related to the horse and rhinoceros. Scientists think the tapir hasn't changed in millions of years, which accounts for many of its ice-age-like qualities.
Living deep within the Amazon rainforest, tapirs are a rare site to behold. They are truly illusive creatures and one of nature's many hidden gems.
The superb lyrebird or menura superba is a truly fascinating animal.
Nestled in the noisy forests of the Australian theater, the males have a very specialized and unique ability. They can copy, almost to perfection, the sounds of other birds, creatures, and even some of the more "unnatural" entities they encounter in the forest! And why they do this? It is all a courtship act for the chance to impress a picky female. Producing some of the most incredible sounds in the animal kingdom, it is only fitting that they are named after a musical instrument.
Don't be fooled; you may not believe your ears at first. Its song is bound to make your jaw drop! Make sure you listen to the whole performance, especially the last half. Enjoy :)
As I progress with my blog, I will accord with the ideas presented in my past three blog entries. They are to be the anchor in our voyage to discover what the world has to offer. So let's real it back up into our boat and keep it safe as we take to the wind across the last global frontier: a frontier of extremes, a frontier of astonishment, and a frontier that defies what we thought was possible.
So this is my cause: to reinvigorate our inborn sense of discovery with something new and inspiring for a hundred times! And no less! I will refuse to grow accustomed to blogging as I refuse to grow accustomed to life. I will let each new post inspire me just as the last did and I hope it does the same for you.
This is my quest for a hundred amazing things in nature, and this is my purpose on the blog!
HAVE PERSPECTIVE, ENJOY THE LITTLE THINGS, BE SURPRISED BY THE BIG THINGS, LIVE EACH DAY, HUMBLE OTHERS, INSPIRE OTHERS, SURPRISE OTHERS!
As toddlers, we all were once fascinated by things like a sidewalk rock or a tiny bug. Some may dismiss such curiosity as naivety, but I believe it to much more significant: the spirit of discovery. I believe it to be a fundamental truth that toddlers are so curious and so happy because they are seeing everything for the first time.
Everything is new to them! the beach, the sky, the water bottle. And it is this universal concept of newness that is all so important.
Let me ask you this:
Why do we go on far away vacations?
To see places we've never seen before.
Why do we take risks?
To do things we've never done before.
Why do we read books?
To learn things we've never learned before.
So why do we eat or sleep or do any of what we do? Why do we live?
We live for whats new. We live for whats next.
the next minute
the next day
the next promotion
the next ballgame
the next inch
the next second
the next meal
the next house
the next tablet
the next job
the next phone-call
the next experience
the next lesson
the next book
the next dream
the next fad
the next paycheck
the next time
the next partner
the next breath
the next life
What I say here, I wish to be reflected in the real world, not the virtual one. I want to communicate life values and not just facts about nature.
The internet is often glorified as resourceful medium that provides an infinite amount of immediate information. It is often said to advance people's understanding of the world, but providing information about the world is not nearly the same as experiencing it.
For many people, especially teenagers, the internet can be a tremendous distraction. The constant availability of information comes at the cost of a constant source for entertainment and enjoyment.
For this reason, I believe it is very important to remember the two-dimentionality of the Internet: it is something we watch, not experience. We praise and commend computer companies for producing higher resolution displays and making the web more realistic, while we should be praising reality itself!
In the near future, the world renowned company Google will even be releasing augmented reality glasses. Glasses that will supplement/virtualize the everyday experience of commuting to work or going to the library.
So what does this mean? What we are progressing towards in technology is a changed or improved reality in the first place. Therefore the best source of entertainment, enjoyment, information, and life experiences is right outside your door not on the computer screen. It's in the air, the earth, the stars, the sky. Why waste time on the internet when all it does is hinder your opportunity to have meaningful life experiences?
If you always wanted to go to the grand canyon, stop making it your desktop background, and go out and see it for yourself! Nature is an open playground and it calls for all people to participate and share in it.
I'm not saying don't use the Internet at all. It is can be a tremendous beneficial resource. After all, it is what I'm communicating these ideas through. But if what it provides is abused, its benefits are far outweighed by the potential cost of what you're missing out on outside of the house.
With this theme, here is a talk by Polar Explorer Ben Saunders that has impacted the way I look at the world. It is called "Why Bother Leaving the House?"
I hope it has a similar impact on you. This is my call to live life! Enjoy :)
I'm interested in driving awareness for appreciation of our planet's truly unique diversity in wealth of life, geography, and history. The complexity and aesthetic nature of our planet is under-appreciated in today's bustling society.
Whether one may be searching for purpose, distancing oneself from societal pressures or seeking for refuge from a gloomy day, I believe the key to a happiness often lies in appreciation of something greater than oneself. It lies for me in discovering earth. What do I mean?
Perspective.
There is a tendency for people to blow things out of proportion. Everybody is guilty of getting anxious over a tough assignment, angry over someone not keeping their word or frustrated with having to clean their room. But often these things are trivial, and more importantly, temporary. Perspective can calm such emotions and generally work to your advantage. Learning to cope with small disappointments and frustrations can make you a generally more thoughtful and optimistic person. And with the right mind set, maybe worries like these can transform into something to rejoice about.
An Idea: Trivial, annoying things can be enjoyed.
What is life but inconsistent, imperfect, and chaotic. It is natures intent that things are not perfect: a primary law. Erosion, whether by tide, wind or rain, is one of the most imperfect processes in nature. But over time, it manages to form beautiful geographic structures like penetrating canyons and towering sand dunes. Also, evolution is the end result of millions of years of imperfections, and it has created an astounding breadth of life, including us humans. Inconsistencies and imperfections are key to the way the world operates.
Truth.
Everyday experiences, good or bad, are never perfect and often surprise us, so why get worked up when things don't go directly to plan. These experiences are what make life worth living.
A Quote: "Life is a journey, not a destination." --Ralph Waldo Emerson
Like electricity, when we are all charged up with emotion, we need a ground to take our negative energy and translate it into positive energy. For me this is ground is earth.
Looking at the complexities of life and the beauty of nature is fulfilling. Whether created by god or powers beyond our knowledge, nature never ceases to amaze me. I believe looking at the big picture of life in the scope of planet earth can help put little problems, like a parking ticket or a bad grade, into perspective. Discovering earth has the power to generally make you a more optimistic and thoughtful person.
Earth can humble you and inspire you.
And with this theme, I hope to humble and inspire others.
