Viewers vs. Doers: Beautiful Landscapes
It’s no secret nature has breathtaking scenery to offer, but these beautiful sights aren’t just eye candy; they have much more to offer. Similar to life, it’s often more about the journey than the destination; meaning how one gets to some of the best views, rather than the view itself. To some, driving up to a beautiful look out is the preferred method, but when miles of hiking are required, the payoff is much more rewarding. It may feel tough or even defeating at times, but that journey toward the destination connects the individual more to the beauty of what you see at the destination.
It’s easy to gloss over a nice view and move on when little to no effort is put in, but when forced to work hard for it, an individual will usually appreciate it more. In addition, a tough hike to get to a view allows the individual to connect with the scenery, and understand exactly what they are looking at. More of what makes up that picturesque scene is observed, and allows for an understanding of every element of it.
A distant mountain is grey, the trees are leaning, and appear in clumps, the top has a clearing, and a bird is flying over the valley where a river flows below. This beautiful scene can be observed by the eye of an onlooker who drove up a mountain and looked off the edge at its neighboring mountain and the valley between. But the individual who climbs miles up the mountain to the same view can connect with the surroundings of the view.
The rocks are grey because they’re dry, and bleached to a lighter color by the intense force of the sun in the elevation. They’re warm, slick, and in some spots too steep to get up without climbing or using both hands and feet. The trees all lean from being windswept by the funneling of the winds through the valley, but the same winds provide a cooling relief after being exposed to the strength of the blaring sun at such a high elevation.
The bare spots of the mountain are where drop offs become rocky and sheer, or where trees give way to grasses where deer feed, insects congregate, and birds feed and sing. The top is clear of trees because the altitude reaches an all time high, making it harder to breathe, and impossible for trees to survive. This change isn’t abrupt, but rather a gradual shift between species, and then between size until they gradually disappear. The vegetation changes entirely here in the alpine. Walking 100 feet now feels like a ¼ mile, making the trees’ decisions to live elsewhere understandable and relatable.
The eagle that flies the valley isn’t simply that anymore. To the individual who earned the view, she’s a mother searching for prey for her newborn chicks that were spotted on the way up to the top. She uses the valley winds to her benefit and glides with minimal effort. She searches for small animals venturing from the tree line, or a fish swimming near the surface of the river below. She needs to feed her chicks so they can grow and learn to fly and hunt themselves.
The physical exertion put into the journey gives perspective on what it takes for life to exist in the landscape. It connects the doer emotionally. Thirst and exhaustion in the heat of the sun, relief and satisfaction from the wind and the shade of the trees, fear at the cliff's edge, difficulty breathing in the altitude, and a respect for the wildlife; A satisfaction from, an understand of, and a connection to the landscape. More time is spent observing the view because of the physical exhaustion it took to arrive at the destination that provides the view. The doer feels each element, has experienced the individual details of what makes up the landscape, and feels a sense of accomplishment and reward from the view.
The difference is the experience that is gained from that journey, and the involvement of many senses, up close and personal. You can see the individual elements of the one vast landscape. You can feel the surroundings, smell the surroundings, and hear individual aspects of the location. A deeper connection can be formed, and an understanding of what makes up the scene can be developed.
It’s like looking at sand versus standing in it and feeling it’s warmth it has absorbed from the sun, or looking at it under a microscope to see all the intricate shapes and colors of the grains that make up the sand. It’s like looking at a picture of a nice view, versus witnessing it in person. The more in depth the experience, and more insight an individual has into it, the stronger the connection to it will be, and the longer lasting the effect it will have. Suffering a little bit for a nice view makes it more of a reward than just something nice to look at.
It’s the doers who gain the most. The ones who put in the time and work. You get out what you put in. It applies to more than just a nice view.
You get out what you put in.