Taken at the same time as yesterday’s photo, here’s another staircase down the side of the dam.
What strikes me so powerfully about this image is the contrast between natural and built environments. The central element in this photo is the concrete stairway with the zigzag shadow of the iron handrail giving it the appearance of a giant zip!
To either side of the staircase we see the growth of a diverse, seemingly random number of plants, from flowers to substantial bushes. I’m guessing nobody planted any of this.
The contrast couldn’t be more stark. The human creation is full of straight lines, looks rigid and fixed. There isn’t the slightest doubt that either the staircase or the wall of the dam have been placed there. They didn’t grow and they won’t grow. In fact, we know that over time they will degenerate, break down and crumble.
Nature, or Life, on the other hand thrives by grasping opportunities and adapting. That vegetation you can see will most likely grow and spread if left to its own devices.
This world we live in offers up the possibilities of life. It supports and promotes survival, growth and thriving.
Don’t we, the human species, need to get on board with that project and pour our energies and creativity into supporting sustainable life on Earth?
You don’t have to look far to see the effects of industrialisation and capitalism on the planet…..the combination of consumption and destruction is an ugly one. Abandoned mines, polluted lakes and rivers, plastic infested oceans…..it’s quite a tally.
We can do better than this I’m sure by turning our focus towards care and beauty, and away from short term greed and long term ugliness.
Heroes Not Zombies 
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