Storytime- park
- safialina2001
- Jun 6, 2022
- 2 min read
park/pa:k/ noun
A large public garden or area of land used for recreation.
When we hear this word or think about it, what thoughts or images flash into our minds? …..An oasis of green in a concrete jungle, a small slice of nature in artificial, man-made surroundings …myriad images come to mind …..the laughter of children as the swing as high as they can, trying , in their innocence, to each the sky, young mothers sittings and confiding their woes and worries to sympathetic compatriots, elderly couples strolling in the peaceful twilight of their lives, athletic sportspersons , using this open space to exercise …the lst is endless. But in this swirling, ever -shifting kaleidoscope of images, what is it that we are missing? It is human nature to focus on oneself and ones concerns, but is it truly that the park is merely a setting for human interaction? Is there nothing that we are missing? Are there not some vital, underlying, living, breathing components that we as humans in our arrogance, discount?
Are there other beings, other creatures, other entities, that are an intrinsic part of this patch of green? To who this park is not merely a ‘recreational area or space, but is the arena of their very existence. Their ‘janmabhoomi ‘and their ‘karmaboomi’?
What about the trees that have grown in to sturdy, shade giving _____ from slender saplings? What have they witnessed over the passage of years that they have been rooted in the soil? How many generations of babies, children, young teenagers, besotted lovers, harried mothers, fitness freaks and elderly couples have they seen pass before their eyes? The pageant has been rich, varied and dramatic indeed!
What about the other, largely neglected and unnoticed forms of life that exist in that very park? The butterflies, the insects, the frogs, the cats and dogs- Man, in his monumental arrogance, discounts their value, but in the larger frame of things, are they any less important? Who are we to judge their importance or significance? Is it that being blessed with a longer life span, we are foolish enough to presume that our contribution is greater as befits our greater length or duration that we spend on this earth? On what basis can we judge their contribution or their importance? In fact, these are the creatures who continue to live closely connected with nature .They contribute and add to its beauty, they destroy nothing and do not diminish it in any way. Man is the only creature who seeks to destroy that eternal bounty from which he draws sustenance, to which he owes his very existence.
People come and go, generations pass, the wheel of time moves on... …and the essence of the park remains the same. It is that space that we seek out for our rejuvenation, our freedom, our escape from prying eyes, our relaxation and enjoyment, our exercise, our peace of mind and our rest. It is that haven of nature that we yearn for in our increasingly monotonous, routine lives. In the words of the immortal poet Wordsworth, that unparalleled bard of nature, the park says to all those who wander, ‘Rest, and be thankful.”
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