If the babbling of the brook is replaced by the roar of cars, where would we find silence?
If the rustling of the tree is overwhelmed by the howl of chainsaws, where would we find shade?
If birdsong fades and the roar of airplanes swells, where would we find beauty?
If everything is mowed, where could we lie down and listen to insects buzzing?
If the rivers stop flowing because the glaciers have melted, could we still dance on its banks?
If animals live behind fences and in cages, could we still howl with the wolves?
If we choke the oceans with plastic, could we still sing about miracles?
If the sky is black with soot, would clouds still form fantastic figures?
If we are afraid of the dark, how could the starry sky tell us where we’re going?
If we fear the light, how could we ever get the best out of ourselves?
If we fear the silence, how could we ever discover ourselves?
If we fear beauty, how could we ever be healthy?
If we fear ourselves, how could we ever feel connected?
If we fear death, how could we ever live?
If we let everything and everyone be in freedom, if we enjoy the smallest things, if we dare to look each other in the eye, if we dare to trust in everyone’s intrinsic goodness, if we can say what we think, … how could we ever be unhappy again?
If you feel the sun on your skin and the wind in your hair, if you can hold your loved ones in your arms, if there is silence when you need it, if a never-ending beauty envelops you, if you can take a deep breath and fresh air fills your lungs, if rippling water may quench your thirst, if food nourishes your body and mind,…how could we want for anything more?
We don’t have to rob the Earth of its beauty to be healthy and happy. When we dance with her lovingly, she gives us everything we need.
Original title: Als…, translation by Aveen Colgan