I enter White Clay, and again I see the same landscape I’ve been seeing. The snow once again has covered the ground. After the pleasant weather over the weekend I was expecting the mud to dry, the snow to be essentially gone, but alas, one can dream can he not?

For now, that picturesque green scenic view of the park will be a dream, as snow fell once again even in the middle in March, and left a soft fresh layer to tread on. The snow was not as heavy and loud as the snow before- it was much softer and lighter which made the walk far easier than I expected. The treading of my boots sounded like walking on tissue paper (like what you find inside gift boxes) rather than harsh sandpaper and thankfully did not drench my socks. The trees and the leaves unfortunately still look quite bare and squalid, but there was one particular tree I observed very carefully to find little stems of leaves coming into form. I considered this was a good sign that perhaps leaves were on their way in the next few weeks.

Despite the new inch or two of snow, the wildlife in the park remained prevalent. I heard hummingbirds, crows, finches, and saw squirrels looking for food, and robins were searching the ground for worms and insects. The snow had already started to melt in certain areas of the park, and perhaps the robins along with other birds had realized they can still find what they are looking for. Then I thought to myself: what do animals such as birds and squirrels think snow really is? Do they think it’s dangerous or harmful? Do they think it’s edible? What goes through their mind when they see it fall down or when they see it the next morning?

We as humans can check the weather on our phone or on the computer but birds really don’t have that. I can only imagine their frustration when they fly through breezy winds and sit under sunlight only to have that taken away the next day to overcast and snow without any warning or signs of such. The wind also tends to blow snow from one place from another; that must be quite a nuisance if a finch or small bird is sitting on a branch just minding its own business and then bam! The finch gets plastered with snow even though it stopped snowing hours ago. I guess it is wrong of me to complain about the snow given that set of circumstances for the animals who live in White Clay Creek.

For our class readings, I was very much surprised by whose writing I found in Moral Ground. President Barack Obama has had a lot of issues to deal with, and when it is all said and done, his tenure may be looked at as one of the most difficult presidencies in American history. That being said, I have never heard President Obama say anything about climate change or the environment. So when I read his entry regarding global warming and climate change including record breaking climate recordings, I was surprised that Obama had even researched the topic in such depth. It was also a powerful and moving statement when he referred to how he wonders what kind of a place his daughters or other children will live in one day, and how we as a society are running out of time to save our planet. It is rhetoric like that which alarms people to act, especially the doubters and naysayers (which climate change has plenty of). It was also interesting to read about his take on alternative energy and new methods of fuel, given that now he has the ultimate say on the controversial Keystone Pipeline and will soon have to decide its fate. I am eager to see what he decides to do, especially after reading this monologue.

Another interesting piece was the one of the Dalai Lama, and his opinions on climate change and the environment. This was also a surprise to me because clearly the Dalai Lama is not a scientist, but rather more of a philosopher for the Buddhist cause and for peace and non-violence. But to hear the Dalai Lama talk about overpopulation, pollution, and sharing the Earth is eye-opening yet persuasive. But as you keep reading, you see the connection between Buddhism and the environment, in terms of caring for what’s around you, seeing the mind in living things, and the health of the earth as a whole. Nature is an essential stamp of Buddhism. Therefore, you see the urgency that the Dalai Lama presses in the essay and promotes the idea that we must leave the earth in better shape than what it was when we found it as this is our sacred duty.
 
Speaking of Buddhism, the meditation exercise we did in class was one that was quite challenging for me personally. I tried for a long time to not think of anything and to be still but eventually I just could not do it. Things like “what am I doing tonight?” or “why does my leg itch so badly?” and petty thoughts began to fill my brain.  Although I was able to enter a calm phase for a good minute or so, it did not last and I opened my eyes to see if anyone else was having trouble. To my ease, some eyes were wandering as well. But this simply goes to prove what was mentioned in class- our minds are always running and it never stops. Like a fine-tuned machine, it just goes on and on and on and on. That’s why people like touch screens so they can scroll and scroll and scroll down Twitter or Instagram, we like Facebook so we can scroll and scroll and like and like, and comment, and IM people and always have something to say. The desire or thirst for things to do is never satisfied. We are all zombies or “hungry ghosts” when we do this because our intake never ends and in fact keeps growing. That is the same logic that can be used for our desire to constantly buy things whether it’s clothing, electronics, cars, houses, anything.

We always want more, need more, have to have more and this is for the same reason I was having trouble meditating in that we can never just stop thinking or acting. The brain is not meant to relax but to always be working. Even during St. Patrick’s Day weekend, kids on campus had beers after beers after beers but still needed more… why? They were already intoxicated, already had tasted the taste of beer ten or twelve times.. It was only to keep the cycle going as if to say “why stop now?”. 

What people should do is just stop and breathe and see the true value of things and to appreciate them rather than using something up, throwing it and going back for more. Because really, what is the difference between a million dollars and two million dollars? You still have the same things to buy, same options, just more of the same. But what is the actual gain here between one million to two million? What’s the difference between 1,000 Twitter followers and 2,000 followers? What is the true intrinsic purpose of what we actually want? That’s where Buddhism comes into play where Buddhism encourages need and enlightenment rather than want and pleasure. If we took something for what it’s truly worth, perhaps we wouldn’t be dissatisfied. We would be content. Many people don’t know what that feels like.