We are increasingly living in a dense concrete jungle and even in our private place, we surround ourselves with technological gadgets and human altered articles such as plastic and glass. Most of us who live in highly populated cities would have to put up in high rise apartments with little greenery. I thought to myself, such is life. Yet, I am beginning to see the gems of wisdom of my wife who was brought up in a peaceful island south of Japan, Isigaki, Okinawa in a family of fishermen. We need to regularly expose our young children to serene and clean nature, as unspoilt as possible. Children are growing up in an environment where electronic buttons are touched more often than clean sand, television and computer graphic displays are more often seen than a scenery of clear skyline without buildings, and music from CDs or videos are often heard more than the rustling sound of tree leaves brushed by wind or sound of crickets and cicada behind tree shrubs. Could this be just our Asian mentality that work comes first over relaxation and getting in touch with nature? I was working in London as well as visited Paris and see crowds of Europeans lying down on the green grass to feel the breeze and face the blue skies on weekends or even afternoons on weekdays. Yet, many of us fill our little free time being transported from our home in an aircond car or crowded train into another aircond enclosure of a large shopping complex or cinema and never even seen the blue sky once. Would immersing in nature teach new lessons to our young of sustainability and the simple pleasures of nature that require little efforts to acquire but mere contentment? That in nature, we can see the Creator God who created this earth, since often times we are more familiar with the many gadgets created by humans.
Upon setting foot in Hong Kong, I was blessed to see blue skies on my first day, but that did not last. But recently, I realized that there are quite some fairly good beaches in Hong Kong that is just less than an hour from the city center. The soft and fine sand at Clearwater Bay beach, Sai Kung, New Territories is easily accessible by public transport and offers an eyeview of mountains and skies without any view of concrete skyscrapers. Stanley Beach is a nice spot too since it is also close to good food and markets, but the beach does not give too much of a feeling of closeness to nature. It is amazing that if we do try to look for nature, we can find it. I was a little doubtful in the beginning that Hong Kong being close to the pollution of China can have anything to offer. In fact, there are many nice trekking trails and nice beaches close to the city center compared to Tokyo. I found that a handful of beaches in Hong Kong are even the best among China and Taiwan, though they are far from world standard or close to the Okinawan beaches. I believe that if we make an effort to search, we can find nature where ever we are, though most of the time, we got too lazy or too occupied or absorbed with the existing routine that we do not seek after this solace. Nature does wonders to us and our children. I think even babies can feel the impact and difference nature offers. When searching for an apartment, my wife requested that it be close to a large park with many trees and I now understand the effects this can offer in the mist of the cramped and dense city we live in. I also know that when we seek, we shall find, especially with a little prayer in our hearts to God who so richly seeks to bless us when we seek to glorify Him and His creation.
What do you think? Is nature really that important and how often do you seek to immerse yourself in nature?
(Photos show St Stephen's beach near to Stanley market and bottom 2 photos show the soft sandy beach and clear waters at Clearwater Bay second beach).
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