10.3.2008

epiphany

it’s a strange, vast world we live in. and alaska is the most bizarre mix of stunningly powerful wilderness and strip mall retail hell i’ve ever seen. man-made things stick out there like grotesquely sore thumbs against an idyllic background. perhaps a byproduct of such a utilitarian survival oriented life style, but sad nonetheless. in all of the 2,660 miles of the state that i managed to take in, there was almost a complete void of aesthetic or architectural awareness (museum of the north notably excepted).

how ironic to have this void exist beside the awe inspiring geometry and fluidity of alaksa’s natural landscape. if ever a people had an abundance of sources of inspiration, it’s here.

fortunately in a sparsely populated land that’s 1/5 the size of the continental US, there’s plenty of no one in between the tiny towns, and it’s easy to forget that there’s anyone else out there. mountains with snowy peaks, glassy lakes galore and sitka spruce as far as the eye can see hum with interconnectedness and a life of their own.

here, you’re just another one of the fauna.

and that’s good.

Categories: cynical, idealistic