This I Believe

I believe that the world is our teacher. It was about two years ago on a hot Houston summer camping trip. The summer ranged from bleak dark and rainy days, to the days that were hot warm and most pesky of all, humid. The trees provided sufficient shade, and I was captivated by the wonders of nature. Life was buzzing about around me and most people just swatted it away. I started listing the things that you don’t see in the city. Amongst them were tall majestic trees and wildlife. I saw many rabbits jumping around and one time we almost saw an armadillo.

It was late that night when the school sanctioned teachers took us out to learn of nocturnal animals. Our teacher was explaining something about snakes that lived in the area, and as usual my friends were chattering away. We had seen some animals such as: possums and lizards and fishes so far. Then our excited teacher flashed his flashlight at something. He exclaimed it was an armadillo. We immediately looked and saw nothing. It had scurried away. In the midst of all that excitement the teacher decided it was time to go back and he gave us our assignment for the night. Most students were still eager to see the armadillo. Now looking back, I overreacted too. We were all intrigued by the armadillo. The teacher asked of us to write what we learned from the animals.

The log cabin smelled like cheese, I bet it was the fridge, but it was stinky nonetheless. I wondered what had these animals taught us. The world teaches us to coexist. The animals live together in harmony, perfectly balanced. The world teaches us of peace. I see it in the quiet landscapes and fields. The world teaches us of survival. The animals fight in an endless struggle to live or die. The world teaches of love and hate. I see it in the fiery bursts of passion in animals everyday. The world teaches us of ourselves and others.

That night I desired to learn of the world’s wonders. I wanted to see the rainforests in South America. I wanted to see the savannahs in Africa. I wanted to see the tundra in Russia. I want to be the world’s disciple. I want to learn of what it has to say. The world is truly as amazing as it is limitless. The world is our teacher.

This I believe: The world is our teacher. We are its students. We learn of the amazing world everyday.