Nature at Its Best - Essay Example

The sea is perfectly calm that early morning when I first strolled on the beach. There was a mild breeze and the waves were smooth flowing in the sense these were not very high nor in any way threatening to overwhelm the rocks on the far-end portion of the beach. Some small birds are flying overhead and seemed to be enjoying the fine weather, taking all their leisurely time to catch the fishes they want for food, a rare occurrence in this part of the world, so to speak in an admiring way as the sea in our locality is not very cooperative at times. The sun is already at mid-horizon and its rays were reflected on the tiny waves taking their turns hitting the beach. I can smell the saltiness in the air as the waves broke on the shore. There was hardly a cloud in the sky which was almost perfectly dark blue and there were also birds flying up so high. The sound of the waves is soporific I want to go back to sleep right there on the empty beach. It is an idyllic morning best suited for contemplating the deeper meaning of life and the always eternal questions about existence and the universe or the cosmos itself. The silence was at times almost deafening, so to speak, as the light breeze brought distant muted sounds from somewhere. If someone wants to live here forever like Robinson Crusoe, then I can hardly blame him.

In less than an hour within that picturesque beach scene, as described above, the weather had turned nasty as there is a brewing storm coming in. It is not a particularly strong storm but the weather forecasters had warned the residents to take some precautions against any sudden storm surges brought about by the expected strong winds blowing from the north side of the little island where our community is located, connected by a small causeway to the mainland. It was a hint of bad things to come when the garbage and other flotsam came in brought by the waves. It is a disheartening sight to see Nature all fouled up by human activities due to not caring. There is a strong bad smell coming from the collected garbage swept in by the waves which seemed to be bobbling up and down like some unseen buoy because the garbage formed a little island itself. The winds and the waves prevented the garbage from spreading out but instead gathered it in a little circle like someone intentionally put them together to prevent fouling up the entire beach. There are all kinds of garbage imaginable but most of all, the predominant items were plastic. There was no doubt some people on the other side of our little island threw their garbage into the sea to avoid paying exorbitant collection fees and instead hoped Nature will take care of itself. It is an ugly sight and as the wind grew stronger, the garbage isle moved closer inland. With each oncoming wave, some of the garbage got stranded on the beach and stayed there. It is important to keep in mind how Nature can be utterly destructive and it is best to take warnings seriously. In a matter of minutes, the previously clear blue sky had turned grey and ominous with clouds.

The important lesson or takeaway from this writing assignment is how the power of the word is a writer's greatest asset if used properly to achieve whatever is the writing objective. This power of the written word is highly imaginative and creative that magically links the reader with the writer, in essence achieving a unity of mind and spirit by which the ideas of the writer are then transmitted to the reader. This is the very essence of writing, to put a message across with the use of descriptive words that put the reader in the place at that specific moment in time. It is a rare talent for a writer to achieve this aim but it can be done with a lot of practice. Some writers suffer the so-called “writer's block” and face a blank white page for some time but then in a moment of inspired writing, achieve that exceptional rapport with the reader. This is done by a writer showing an ability to put himself in the reader's point of view (Hargis, 2000).

An active or creative imagination allows a good writer to describe things and places in a very precise manner such that a reader seems magical but also realistically transported to a particular place and time; this writing talent achieves a communion of sorts between writer and reader. In a matter of using a few selected but highly descriptive words, a writer conveys to the reader a sense of belonging, of being there and experiencing the things described. This is how television shows and news programs harness the power of the word, getting the viewer involved so closely to the television set that time seems to not matter anymore as the viewer sits in front of it. There is a sense of being in a time warp because the viewer is so absorbed he will not notice the passage of time but the power of the television reporting is what will linger in his mind.