movement

At first there was destruction.

Something had been boiling underneath the waters for a while.

The the heat and unrest got too much, and fire and magma exploded out of the water. The earth was torn apart. Like us, it needs to blow off steam every once in a while. Eventually, it cooled down. From the magma that emerged from underneath two moving tectonic plates, Iceland was formed. It sits on top of these two plates, that since than have never stopped moving apart, and eventually will tear the island half. Constant movement.

It can be felt at all times. Standing on top of a mountain, the wind blows so strongly that it makes you feel like the planet must be moving through space faster than usually. The stream of the rivers and the forceful descend of the waterfalls are driven by forces that are invisible to the eye. Boiling water bubbles in small pools, and just the same as the lava, spews out of the ground when it pleases. The earth is alive, trembling like from a shiver when it stretches. It is ever changing and in constant motion.

The movement starts somewhere beyond our planet. The movement of Earth is caused by the movement of the planets within our solar system, but even beyond that there is movement. We don’t know where it starts, and we don’t know when it will end, but once it ceases, there can be no life. How much control do we really have then? And what if the stability we are looking for means stagnation?

We try to influence our environment to make it more habitable for us. Sometimes there is a mismatch in our idea of habitability and the planet’s driving force, survival. Some of us have come to the conclusion that we are only a phase in the planet’s history, and at some point we will have to make way for new life forms.

In its own unique way, the Earth strives to maintain balance for life to thrive on it. But it seems as if the moment balance is achieved, there is chaos again. Nature has a mind of its own, and it is co-creating history with us.

The planet has had to suffer a lot throughout its existence. One thing I have thought about often is, how does the planet survive so much destruction? It seems as if the traumas are so many and frequent that it should be a dead rock floating in the sky by now. But I have come to a (subjective and humble) conclusion, that the planet finds its balance through the waves of chaos, unrest and unease, followed by resurgence and revival. Destruction eventually results in growth, and the creation of something new. New life emerges at the end of another life, and the balance is renewed.

The circle of life continues.