What is man without the beasts? For if all the beast were gone, man would die of a great loneliness of the spirit.
Chief SeattleRead
The Indian prefers the soft sound of the wind darting over the face of the pond, the smell of the wind itself cleansed by a midday rain, or scented with pinon pine. The air is precious to the red man, for all things are the same breath - the animals, the trees, the man.
Interpretation
This quote emphasizes the deep connection between humans and nature, highlighting the importance of air and the environment.
Chief Seattle's quote reflects the intrinsic bond that indigenous people, particularly the 'red man', share with nature. It illustrates how every element of the natural world holds significant value and is interconnected. The beauty and sensations of nature are cherished, and the air is portrayed as sacred, representing life itself. This perspective fosters respect for the environment and an awareness of its fragility.
In practice
During a conservation seminar, to emphasize the importance of preserving natural spaces.
What is man without the beasts? For if all the beast were gone, man would die of a great loneliness of the spirit.
We do not inherit the earth from our ancestors; we borrow it from our children
Let him be just and deal kindly with my people, for the dead are not powerless. Dead, did I say? There is no death, only change of worlds.
All things are connected, like the blood that runs in your family "The water's murmur is the voice of my father's father." 1854 The rivers are our brothers. They quench our thirst. They carry our canoes and feed our children. You must give to the rivers the kindness you would give to any brother.
Revenge by young men is considered gain, even at the cost of their own lives, but old men who stay at home in times of war, and mothers who have sons to lose, know better.
The whites, too, shall pass - perhaps sooner than other tribes. Continue to contaminate your bed and you will one night suffocate in your own waste.
The tree I had in the garden as a child, my beech tree, I used to climb up there and spend hours. I took my homework up there, my books, I went up there if I was sad, and it just felt very good to be up there among the green leaves and the birds and the sky.
The fertility cycle is a cycle entirely of living creatures passing again and again through birth, growth, maturity, death, and decay.
Soon as the evening shades prevail, The moon takes up the wondrous tale, And nightly to the listening earth Repeats the story of her birth.
The prayer of the farmer kneeling in his field to weed it, the prayer of the rower kneeling with the stroke of his oar, are true prayers heard throughout nature.
The world is holy. We are holy. All life is holy. Daily prayers are delivered on the lips of breaking waves, the whisperings of grasses, the shimmering of leaves.
I will arise and go now, for always night and day I hear lake water lapping...I hear it in the deep heart's core.
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