Following the hike to Mount Fitz Roy in El Chalten a few weeks ago, the next excursion on my itinerary was the phenomenal tour of many great icebergs on the route to Estancia Cristina. Magnificent indeed, the route to the “Estancia CrisTina” ranch comprised of the beauty and awesomeness of a few surrealistic icebergs—it was a humbling experience to partake in the beauty of such wonders.
Early in the morning, my group boated to the Estancia Cristina ranch, which transported us through Lake Argentino for approximately 2-3 hours. The commute along Lake Argentino was therapeutic, inspiring, and sensational.
I never desired nor have I experienced a relationship with nature. Nevertheless, the commute comprised of the mountains, the water, the icebergs, and, ultimately, the Upsala Glacier spoke a language that embraced me and humbly minimized the relevancy of my humanness. In the moment, as I observed all of these natural wonders, I was not asserting my influence over nature; nature was asserting its influence over me.
Exploring Lake Argentino and Estancia Crisina, inadvertently positioned a perception of nature’s significance to me and see how nature can inspire you:
Nature’s Influence: This excursion was different for me—I didn’t necessarily interact with the people of a different culture, I interacted with a culture’s nature and geography. When you interact with the nature of a particular people, you begin to understand that nature impacts our identity, influences our responsibility with nature, and that nature may inspire us in life!
Nature is of God, nature is balance: Nature, in its purest state, is a creation of God. In God, there is balance—there are volcanoes, there are glaciers, there are mountains, there is water and they all work together to maintain a oneness with each other.
Earth & Our Responsibility: The world is not yours, the world is ours. While observing and digesting the grandeur of the icebergs and the glaciers, I realized that we do so much to respect and revere human legends, but fail to revere the greatest legend and icon of all time—Earth. I believe God gave us one earth as a passageway for all to transition from nonexistence to heavenly eternity. Earthly time is a transition; it is our best duty to do our best to make it the best transition that it can be.
