Two sides to the Coin

Fire is necessary on the mountains around the city I call home. The vegetation needs to re-seed itself every few years, and fire is the key to unlocking those seeds. Mother Nature allows that elemental power of fire to sweep across the flora, wiping out the old and allowing the new to seed itself.

Those fires are awesome. They destroy. They renew. The demand one's attention. It is difficult for me not to be moved by the scene, even if I am many thousands of miles away. When 'my' mountain burns, I take note. 

Because there is quite a bit of alien vegetation like pine trees, brought in by settlers hundreds of years ago, the damage is extensive and very visual. The indigenous plants are in comparison, small shrubs. They still burn, but perhaps with less ferocity than the huge trees that were planted in the area.

The recent fires may have been started by arsonists. What the intention behind their actions may be, I do not know.

What matters to me is my reaction to the scenario. It felt 'wrong'. Mother Nature 'should' be the one to decide when the time is 'right' for the fire.

Right and wrong , however, are merely opposite sides to the same coin. It is a matter of perspective.

Good and Bad. Love and Fear. Light and Dark. 

We so often make judgment calls about these things. And yet they are merely different sides of the same coin.

When a coin is lying on a table, the part facing upwards is in the so-called Light. The other side of that coin is at the same moment in time, experiencing what we may call Dark. Perspective is the difference. Because if we flip that coin, the scenario reverses itself.

While we are judging the scenario, perhaps it is because we are only looking at one side of the coin. There is so often the other side of the story. 

I believe that no matter how it looks, all is well. Because of that balance of up and down, left and right, rich and poor, good and evil. When we get the chance and ability to step back and see the bigger picture, we get a new perspective. 

I know that the mountain will recover from the damage. In a year or so, the vegetation will be rich and lush again. Life goes on. 

We get to choose how to view the events of our lives. We get to choose to see either one or both sides of the coin. We have that power. We get to choose ...

Click here to see the Fire / Water Ballet