Yellowstone National Park - Present of the Nature

Have you ever been to Yellowstone National Park? The book "National Parkway, A Photographic and Comprehensive Guide to Yellowstone National Park" must give you some ideas. The book introduces the history, geology, phenomenon of hydrothermal features, and the famous spots of Yellowstone. who have been there before.This book is a guide of Yellowstone which mainly provides historical and scientific knowledge to readers. However, it still gives me some inspirations.

First of all, the book has shown how fascinate the nature is. It tells that miracles are happening in every second, in the world that we all live in. Geology is always in action and acts so slowly that it is imperceptible to us. Not in Yellowstone. There, the catalyst of underground heat speeds up geology to the point that we can actually see it in action. We can see the face of the earth changing before our eyes. Yellowstone's world-famous hydrothermal features are the most dramatic examples of geology in action that we can easily view. Can you imagine large quantities of limestone that can last for million years being dissolved before your eyes? It just likes watching a fast forward documentary.

Yellowstone is a present of the nature. As mention above, Yellowstone is presenting geology in action. At the same time, it is the nation's largest wildlife preserve. Bear, moose, deer, antelope and dozens of smaller mammals roam at will. Receiving such a big present, what did we do in return to the nature? Overexploitation of natural resources, deforestation, oil leakage...are these the things we should do to the one who gives us so much? In my opinion, the nature is not asking for anything from us, but respect. Human beings can get things they need from the nature, but not overtaking. Otherwise, we, or our next generation, will suffer from what we have done. In order to maintain an ecosystem, 'balance' is always the major principle.

Furthermore, Yellowstone is a history book of the nature. Scientists have been able to trace the physical history of the area to a time more than two billion years ago! This book published in 1976, more than 30 years ago. It has captured a lot of beautiful scenery of Yellowstone. When we read the book, we are indeed greeting the Yellowstone in 30 years ago. Yellowstone nowadays may look totally different from the description of the book. Compare to the geologic history of Yellowstone, what we know is just a small part of its long history. In compare with this quick-changing but long-lasting place, human being is only the most recent of thousands of forms of life that have observed Yellowstone. I realized my own littleness and my inability to cope with or even comprehend the mighty architecture of nature. However, I am glad that I can live in this era. An era that allows me to know about the miracle happens in the other end of the world.