In the Colombia travel group on Facebook, a post asked if it is safe to travel to the country and if anyone is actually doing so. With being in Colombia since the fall of 2020, for a total of around 10 months, and the rest of the time spent in Mexico, I have seen quite a bit of beautiful people and places, but few things have impacted me the way visiting the Bosque de Chapultepec near where I am currently staying in Mexico City has.
On this journey, I have had several unique experiences in learning about the lives of others past and present, but this was a very unique experience. Unlike Chichen Itza or Teotihuacan, which are ancient Mayan pyramids here in Mexico, or the experience of having local indigenous tour guide on a hike around Lake Guatavita, which inspired the legend of the lost city of gold El Dorado in Colombia, Chapultepec may be old, built in the late 1700s, but it houses artifacts from the earliest times right up until today of all of this nation.
Fascinating.
Since I was from the United States, and as is the case with most foreigners, I was unaware of the rich history of this land, nor the background on one of the most cosmopolitan cities on Earth.
In the Americas, there was a time when beautiful people lived here before other beautiful people arrived from the other side of the Atlantic and changed everything. Nevertheless, as with everything recorded in history books, that is merely a story. Just like each and everyone one of us carries about our personal lives. It is repeated at times, and certainly one filled with tragedy, but, as with every individual, so too does society as a whole have its ups and downs, which is called life.
Yesterday, while I was walking down the street taking the laundry to the drop-off, I was struck by the little video of the tree posted with this post. It made me think about how people, like this tree, emerge from the Earth that has been largely covered by our own creations. An ever-growing tree, which represents humanity, has absorbed a smaller one. Someone even cut the smaller tree to halt its growth. Although the smaller tree has been cut down, it is still trying to hold onto its spot with its descendants.
As we look up the tree’s trunk, we can see the many directions we have traveled since we first arose. By observing the leaves of the various branches and limbs of the tree, we can see the people of today. Despite this, as the seasons roll by, year after year, they fall as the limbs continue to grow and produce new generations, and so our story goes.
Even so, we all come from the same seed, and all grow from the same Mother Earth. Thus, whether we like it or not, we are all the same and arrive here in the same manner. However, how many of us can still see our common heart in one another?
In addition to our thoughts and choices, we all have the same purpose and ultimately perform the same basic physical activities. Furthermore, we share the same experience of consciousness as well. Still, we differ in our beliefs, opinions, judgments, and other aspects of the mind. In that space of consciousness, we view differences in each other physically, which is nothing new. However, suppose that view is in the negative, a low vibrational space of judgment of what we view as skin color, size of feet, or how tall someone is inherently good or bad. In that case, we fail to see the commonality of beauty we all share.
It is described differently by each of us. Still, we all seek essentially the same thing, which I will refer to as happiness for simplicity.
The story of Chapultepec illustrates how complex, tragic, and beautiful the human experience can be. It reminds us that no matter what was done to us or what we have done to others, it is all just part of the larger story. One that evolves every day due to the choices we all make.
How will you plant your seeds? Whether your last year’s crops, wishes, desires, or wishes failed, learn from them and move forward. Do not hold grudges or feel as if you have been victimized. Although we cannot change the past, we can learn from it and take positive steps forward rather than view it negatively.
As the shoots of the tree cut down continue to grow, we can celebrate the past. However, the more remarkable story of us is in the leaves at the top of the tree. Those are the ones who convert the light into energy that feeds the tree. It is from the roots that the tree receives its sustenance of water, and as a result, the tree continues to grow.
Look to the bright side of the road and consistently strive to move in that direction. Avoid living your life in the rearview mirror; otherwise, you may run into a tree full of beautiful people that you did not see.