A few years ago, on the Gobi Desert in the great northwest, I saw a true wasteland.
When our off-road vehicle broke down, I got out for some air. All I could see were weathered rock formations and dried-up riverbeds. The place was brutally honest, too weary even to waste effort pretending it was full of life.
The guide stood in front of the vehicle, checking its parts. I offered him a cigarette. As he took it, he told me that even the native lizards got lost out here. Then he pointed at the crooked power line tower on the horizon and said it had been built in the 1970s. These days, not even crows would perch on it.
I said nothing, only smiled.
We finally got the vehicle running before sunset. I was still standing beside it, gazing west. I stood above the setting sun.
Theme: Living in harmony with the world
The writing is really good. I doubted myself after reading an essay by everyone.