northern lights

i saw the tail end of the northern lights display this morning on my drive to the ferry – an incredibly rare occurence this far south (i have never seen the northern lights on the south coast in my whole life, though i have seen them in the central interior). pale green, flickering light shadows across the northern sky above the howe sound – i was shocked to see them, wanted to put the brakes on and just sit in my car and watch, though was hampered by the fact i was on the main highway descending towards the ferry terminal.

they continue to sing in my heart, even here in this sterile office, playing alongside the striking sunrise of this morning (mauve and magenta above snow-capped mountains), and the mist shrouded forest of stanley park (from the upper levels highway, the low fog could be seen wrapped around the forested tip of the peninsula on which vancouver sits). these are the landscapes of my journey changing daily, making the world new with every passing hour.

these visions are inspiring and although they do not belong to me alone, my perception of them is highly personal. while taking mass transit, i notice how each person relates to their environment differently (and often not at all) – as it seems as though so many people are jaded by the beauty of our coast, never looking up from their newspapers, or turning their heads towards the window to see. when the lunar eclipse took place las month, i overheard conversations among fellow riders declaring the hassle it was because their children were continually pulling them outside to look at it – and they couldn’t watch their television shows in peace.

it is mornings like this i realize where my desire as a social and ecological activist arises from – and that at my core i am not crazy to want to save what is left of this planet’s riches and magic. how privileged we have been here on the west coast to have been raised so close to nature – even as we soldier into the cities – and how endangered the land of our birth is now with the encroaching olympics and the development boom that will surely follow. there is no answer short of economic collapse that will stop this engine of industry – the question is how and when – and will it be too late when it comes?