“The hills are more beautiful than the cement houses”
For my first post, I would like to transcribe here a text that I find very touching. These are the words of an American Indian chief.
"In the past, we did not know money, and for that reason we never learned to appreciate someone according to their wealth. We do not need written laws because we do not deceive each other. Our world is full of living symbols - which are not just letters written in a book. In the same way, our lives symbolize "The eternal song of the Life" which connects one season to another. Each of us lives at a different pace. Our Great Spirit gave us the music and everyone was born to find their own particular theme. There are no two leaves of trees on earth that are exactly the same. Everyone has their own personal form and we are all part of the Tree of Life. The Great Spirit has given us the privilege of experiencing the meaning of the four seasons. We are like flowers. We do not know anything by ourselves, but when the Great Spirit lives in us, we know when to get out of our seeds, when to extend our stems and leaves, when to open our buds and when to sleep. The greatest thing inside us is teaching us how we should live. The hills are more beautiful than the cement houses.
Life becomes artificial and it fades when trapped in a city. Many people do not know what the sensation of the earth is under their feet or see the plants grow. There are few who abandon the lights of the city behind them. They do not know what it's like to look up to the magic of a starry sky. When human beings live so far away from all that the Great Spirit has created, they easily forget His principles.
In our way, we continue to honor the Great Spirit. We are grateful for all the gifts we have been given, we are taught to live in harmony with each other and with all that lives. A quiet and loving understanding of our way of life. We never discuss religion, because religion is something very personal that happens between each individual and the Great Spirit. Our people know that every path is sacred. Every hill, every mesa, every valley, every desert, every river and every tree is part of the sacred saga of time. All things are filled with music in your minor and in your major which intertwines with the steps of our dances. The footprints tell the story of the lives that have crossed the ground before us. They speak of our caring and caring mothers and their children playing with pebbles and sticks.
Our children belong to all of us and they are at home in all our homes. Their families include countless brothers, sisters, mothers, fathers, uncles, aunts, grandfathers and grandmothers. Our children know they are not alone; in the same way, the very old know that they are embroidered in the tapestry in which we maintain our veneration for the cycle of life, from dawn to sunset. If our children have done something wrong, we do not scold them and we do not hurt them with our hands. Their only punishment is our total silence, our refusal to converse with them until they ask forgiveness for their wrongdoing. In this way, they learn to be responsible for their own well-being and that of others.
We are known to be a quiet people and if we were questioned about the meaning of our silence, we would answer: "We are listening to the Great Spirit. His voice can only be heard in an attitude of humble silence. And if we were asked what are the fruits of silence, we would answer: love, humility, hope and joy.
The roots of our people are deeply rooted in the crevices of these canyons. We can not offend Mother Earth without also offending ourselves. If we have to take something from him to live, we have to give him something in return. We are both friends and partners and it is our duty to pray with songs full of veneration that show our gratitude for the gifts of life.
Men are devastating the face of the earth. Because of this, The Great Spirit is sad sometimes and we have to dance the "Matachin" to comfort Him. We know that when we forget to dance and sing, our hearts move away from nature, our feelings harden and we lose respect and veneration for all that lives. For us, it is a sin to cut a flower, because it has as much as we have the right to live. Our dances, songs and prayers awaken and reinforce our highest thoughts and feelings, drawing us closer to the eternal orbit of the Great Spirit. It is there, in the eternal circle that our lives are anchored within the calm harmony of the four directions. This is where we resonate with the fourth elements. It is here that our inner pilgrimage is fulfilled in wisdom, love, peace and prayer.
If the dance of life stops, our friends and family members will dance and sing to comfort our departing spirit. Three or four days of music make our farewells less painful since soon we will reach The Milky Way or one of the three levels of the sky and we will remember the songs we sang and the dances we were dancing.
One day we danced with cocoons of butterflies tied around our ankles; their tinkling sounds will continue to resonate in the scientifying stars because we are born of the cocoon, the eternal entrails of Our Mother Earth. When we die, we will glide like butterflies among loved ones, saying goodbye to all we love. Our wings will dance a ballet of joy and pain as we hover over you and finally spiral towards the heavens until we reach our new home in The Milky Way. "
