GOD AND SPIRIT IN THE WILDERNESS

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In the wilderness there is never this sense

of having to move, never the feeling of boredom

if nothing dramatic happens.

Time moves slowly, as it should,

for it is a part of beauty that cannot be

hurried if it is to be understood.

Without this easy flowing, life can become

empty and hectic....

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We cannot all live in the wilderness,

or even close to it, but we can, no matter

where we spend our lives, remember the

background which shaped this sense

of the eternal rhythm, remember that days,

no matter how frenzied their pace,

can be calm and unhurried, we can refuse

to be caught in the so-called rat race and

the tension, which kills God-like leisure.

Though conscious of the roar around us,

we can find peace if we remember

we all come from a common mold

 and primeval background.

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Life in the wilderness can be

a continual contemplation and communion

with God and Spirit of those values

echoing within us all,

values born of timelessness, mystery,

the great silences, and an

ancient way of life.

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Sigurd Olson (1899-1982)

American author, teacher, environmentalist

Former President of the National Parks Assoc.

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