top of page
a traveler's note series
Story of The Sea: When The Squalls Coming
"The sunlight appears from the edge of the dark clouds, whispering a hope for those who longed for its warmth. Its rays then started to tame the ferocious waves, calming down the wind & delighting the helpless sailors."
After The Storm,
Just after the darkest hours, then there's lies a hope,
a warmth - a beauty that we longed for. But it is only for a short moment, until we forget it again.
Perhaps, for most of the time, we always look down on nature. We think that we have enough power to do anything we please, deserving to be selfish because the power is in us, Human. But, the sea taught me differently & it is the easiest example how the world actually works. An understanding how insignifficant we are. A lesson which lies there, on the sea.
The sunlight appears from the edge of the dark clouds, whispering a hope for those who longed for its warmth. Its rays then started to tame the ferocious waves, calming down the wind & delighting the helpless sailors. The captain exhaled in a blissfulness & the passengers began to smile to each other. We safely reached the harbour & landed in one piece.
I turn my back again before going through the harbour exit to witness one of the most beautiful sunset in my life. With the dark clouds were still attached to it, the sun gently moves downwards - leaving its orange lights to colour this unforgettable dusk. We made it, at least for today. The sea and the squalls have brought me closer to my creator. With my
Living in archipelago & working on offshore industry require me to deal with the sea for most of the time. By the first time I spent my days on the sea, I realised that this is a simply different world. It is on the sea when human becomes more dependant with the weather. It is also on the sea when I feel so small & powerless.
It happens several times, especially while I was onboard the small boat when the squalls struck. It was not a typhoon nor a big squalls. It was just a regular one yet the power is so tremendous that made our boat jumping up & down. The sky
darkened, the wave rise up & the wind raging viciously. I was just stunned there, holding my life-vest & realised that there is nothing else I can do except only to observe my captain attentively - to hope that he wouldn’t lose his calmness while struggling to keep his boat on correct pace, because every swell we encounter has its own stake. I really can’t do anything to change the situation. I desperately feel so helpless. I could only sit, pray & wait.
Pray, a verb which legitimately shows how powerless human is. We pray because we have nothing to control anymore. Pray because the nature has reminded us again to realise that human is nothing.
Lost in despair & scared of death, I pray for my salvation. Then I suddenly stopped my praying - speechless - I feel so ashamed of myself till I want to cry. Why would I am afraid of death if human is growing up to die? If today is the day that I would leave this world, why do I pray hard to defer it then? Denial will get you nowhere, but acceptance does.
Then I continue my praying but not so I could berth safely, I pray for what is best upon me. I never know whether my prayer is going somewhere or not, but somehow I feel relieved. I knew that my prayer is answered because now I can accept my condition & I felt much better. I put my life-vest on & I am ready for the worst.
Storm Watcher,
The sky darkened, the wave rise up & the wind raging viciously. You have no chance to stand againts it. When you have witnessed such phenomenon, you'd realize that the nature force is simply beyond our reach.
Approaching,
Big squalls seen approaching from afar with its magnificent force. When we can shelter ourselves firmly while on the land, everything will be signifficantly different on the ocean.
prayer, I have made an intense relationship with Him and He has kindly saved me from despair. On that cloudy noon, the nature has blessed me his wisdom. However, as soon as I stepped out from the harbour, I simply forgot those prayers. I detached the wisdom & I came back to the state where I believe that human doesn’t need to pray in order to survive. Gratitude? Sorry, I'm too busy to think about that.
On the land, my mind is filled with a thought that human does have the power & I don’t want to bother myself to think about God - moreover about the nature. Human never learn, eh? Just wait until they come back to the sea, again.
bottom of page