Mountain vs. Sea

I think I have made a decision about which I like better: the ocean or mountains. It was a hard choice, mind you, for someone who has grown up in the verdant Himalayas, in the foothills of the mighty Kanchenjunga, in Darjeeling, this choice was not clear at all. But I think I prefer the ocean. I love the mountains, no doubt. I love how it looks different in the sunlight – different in the rising sun and different in the setting one. The myriad colors the sky makes when the first light breaks after a long shower that seemed to drown the entire universe. I remember it all, from my childhood, and from the several trips I’ve made to the mountains since.

However, the ocean, the sea is something else. The ebb and flow of the waves, the peaks and troughs, the dangers and the calm, all these remind me of life. The high tides and the lows, how things once washed away are later washed ashore are so symbolic of life itself. How in life there are ups and downs, joys and sorrows, how people come and go, leave things behind, memories, impressions, ideas. There is danger in life, as there is calm. But all in all, it’s one hell of a ride full of beauty and light and the ocean can be a metaphor for that.

One could make the same arguments about the mountains too, I recognize. However, I think I have made my choice. So, now I have to make plans for my next trip. What will it be? The mountain or the sea? I don’t know yet.