The Mystery of the Islands in the Ice

In the far distant regions of the globe within the wild arctic circle . Beyond where the boundary of trees should normally grow and where deserts of ice stretch out like vast waste lands, there mysteriously exists a strange assortment of islands. These islands are called "islands" for they seem to rise out of the sea of vast ice deserts. They are considered a most beautiful phenomenon; for they exist as rich outgrowths of unusual shrubs and strange trees and in certain seasons are often home to a variety of colorful but enduring flowers.

How and why these islands appeared out of the vast sheets of ice no man knew, or at least did not know for a long time. Then observers and scientists came along and investigated these unusual mounds which seemed to be oasis's afloat in the sea of ice.

It took curious men and dedicated scientists a while but after many years of observing and poking about they came up with a most plausible answer for this strange but wondrous environmental mystery.

The creation of these wondrous northern islands in the ice were eventually attributed to nothing more than…BIRDS! "WHAT…?"

Yes, it was finally realized that over the past centuries, many birds had once been the inhabitants and builders of these long enduring outposts of unusual life. Even though many bird species were accredited with the construction of these islands, it was one bird species which emerged as the main engineer of these out of the ordinary mounds of isolated color and trees.

These engineering birds were of the "Hawk" family! As nature goes it is speculated that the birds of prey nested in distant isolation for their own survival. The Hawks found security in what might have been the only existing trees which arose out of the distant ice fields. The hunter hawks would go forth and search the distant regions and brought their catches back to their nesting area where the birds shared their hunt with the family. Most of their meals consisted of various other birds and animals which had also hunted other birds and creatures. These too, had also eaten or collected seeds from great distances and now these seeds were transferred and brought back and deposited in heaps around the bushes and trees in the nesting area.

Over many hundreds of years the bits and pieces of dirt, dust, feathers, scraps and waste grew into large mounds and spread out and eventually became "ISLANDS IN THE ICE."

With the aid of the Hawks diet the soil became rich, fertile and a depository of every sort of seed and pod. Thus, in each one of these Hawk habitats, the bushes and trees grew faster, healthier and bigger than any of the other surrounding sites which were without Hawk nests. Therewith, the varieties of flowers would spring up on the islands, and from season to season they would drop more seed and in time a strange variety of flowers would adapt and start growing out of what appeared to be a island in the sea of waste and ice.

In time when changes and hunters diminished the number of hawks, the islands slowly shrank and mostly disappeared. Yet there still remained enough surviving species of plants unfamiliar to the area to create the mystery of the "Islands In The Ice!"

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So what do we get from this story?

We might say that the lesson of OBSERVATION can assist us in understanding how nature might effect our environments. We could also say that man certainly has the capacity to alter his environment before time has the opportunity to explain its mysteries.

No doubt, one thing can certainly lead to another and like a chain of events, conclude with strange and baffling results and so too, with life!

Even though we might not fully understand surrounding events or unexplained actions that are going on around us, if we will take the time to observe we might learn enough about the "why's" and "how's" of our world to help us solve our own mysteries of life and existence.

The power of OBSERVATION is directly linked to wisdom, and it takes a special skill in observing situations correctly. Examining ones own self, exploring circumstances and drawing conclusions can add great enlightenment to our lives, but we must train ourselves in this skill. We must be willing to investigate the why's and the how's of our personal islands.

A wise old man once explained that if we would learn to take the time and observe events, actions and circumstances, and if we are patient enough, our observations in time would yield treasure. I personally have found this to be true. We as humans might demand immediate answers and expect instant response but often those answers will evade us and not be opened unto us unless we are patient, observant and willing to be taught by time itself.

May we learn the power of OBSERVATION and the skill to investigate our own lives. For we too are like those Islands in the Ice…MYSTERIES!

Contact Author at:

michael@ticktalk.net