The Earth Does Not Belong to Human Beings

       Knowing most likely it would rain in the afternoon, rather than sitting inside being not productive the whole day, I took a basket from the landlady then set off for fungi hunting in the vicinity. The closest mountain area where I could reach by foot without taking the expensive charted bus was where the tower located in dongnancun. As soon as I arrived to the foot of the hills, it started to rain. I was glad that I took a tatty raincoat with me. Put it on, and I started to explore the thought-to-be small hill area.

      The rain was never heavy enough to deter my craving for fungi, not in the sense of cooking and tasting but of discovering and unearthing. For many reasons, I was not lucky enough to find any edible fungi. Rainy, windy, and cloudy, being alone inside the hills was not fun. After 40mins wandering around the hillsides, my inner fear persuaded me to head back. 

      I thought it would be an easy way back since I had not hiked far. Following the more or less the "same" trail for about 15 mins, I had to admit that I was lost, inside the small hills where I thought it would be impossible to lose onself. I hurrily checked on GPS and I was correct, the highway was not far. I just needed to find the right direction. After fighting my way against the spiders, I reached the top of another hill where I could clearly spot the highway and tower in distance. Now I felt less worried.

      Without much worries, I slowed my pace, started to explore the immedate surroundings carefully. Wow! There were so many inconspicuous flowers that were blossoming along the track! I did not even notice! Albeit no fungi, I was content with the flora that I discovered.

commelina, dayflower

Allium glandulosum

 

      

      Being the only human in the mountains, I felt myself insignificant. There are so many other species of animals and plants living in such a mininature habitat. Who am I to claim the territory? When I paved my way by destroying the "homes" of the creepy spiders, who was the annoying one? Me or the spider? Humans declare ownership of the Earth for the mere several millions years that they have lived on this planet, other species are forced to relinquish their livinig space because of the law of the jungle.     

      It is a straight-out survival game. We all live here, on the planet Earth, for a short period of time. The Earth existed long before human beings appeared. "The Earth does not belong to human beings." That was the idea which preoccupied my mind while I walked back to town.

      I did not know there was a second half of this same idea, that is, "human beings belong to the Earth."