Title: Alaskan Lighter
Materials: Transparent watercolor, watercolor paper, etc.
Dimensions: Approximately 19 cm x 28.5 cm
Created: 2017
Alaskan Lighter
I close my eyes and take a slow, deep breath.
Then gently light the flame of the lighter in my heart.
As I light the flame,
memories of Alaska vividly appear.
...
The land is vast, far, and beautiful.
360 degrees,
only the elements of nature stretch as far as the horizon.
If I take a deep breath, the cold wind
slightly freezes the inside of my nose,
but at the same time, it brings a refreshing scent of wood.
Like a steam locomotive,
exhaling white breath with a puff,
a massive moose walks slowly and steadily.
In the extreme cold,
a herd of caribou runs wildly
across the snowfields.
A fox swiftly scurries
alone across the road, trying not to be seen by anyone.
At times, some are eaten,
and those who eat them live off their nourishment.
The harmony between creatures and nature
appears endlessly simple and perfect.
The sky is crisp and clear,
vivid and beautiful.
The morning sky is incredibly blue,
and the sunlight sears the world with its warmth.
The evening sky is dyed with colors like blue, purple, red, peach, orange, and yellow,
as if watercolor paints were dropped into it.
The night sky, with countless visible stars as its backdrop,
sees the aurora slowly undulating,
dancing until it is satisfied.
The people are astonishingly resilient,
warm, and beautiful.
In the extreme cold of the forest,
they create everything from scratch with their own hands,
from their homes to everything else.
The old trees they cut down
are turned into firewood to keep warm.
They generate electricity with solar panels,
and gather only the water they need from a nearby clean, fresh spring.
They hunt animals with deep respect and gratitude,
consuming every part of the body,
and using the bones and organs for other purposes.
Perhaps because they know the harshness and coldness of Alaska's nature better than anyone,
the eyes and hearts of the people are filled with compassion and warmth.
One cold day,
a man who lived in the forest looked up at the sky,
and from his magnificent mustache,
he exhaled a white breath and spoke to me.
“The world today is overflowing with things and information,
and it's becoming strange.
Even when people are face to face,
they're looking at their smartphones.
In the city, neighbors often don’t even know much about each other.”
“Many people go to the supermarket and buy neatly arranged meat and vegetables with price tags on them,
and by eating them, it seems they forget the connection they have with other living beings,
and that they are sustained by other creatures.”
As a pure, silent white time slowly flowed by,
I paused my breath for a moment,
then he looked straight into my eyes and continued:
“To tell the truth,
people have forgotten the important connection with the Earth.
Remembering that connection with the Earth,
and cherishing it,
will make both the heart and this world rich forever.”
“True wealth is not measured by money,
but by the heart.”
“Nature always teaches us the most important things.
That’s why living surrounded by trees is
my greatest happiness.”
...
I gently extinguished the fire in my heart.
I slowly opened my eyes,
and took a slow, deep breath.
Even after the fire was extinguished, that freezing wind,
the sound and scent of burning wood,
the taste of life,
the warmth of people,
and many words continued to float around inside me like smoke.
