Day 3: A Life-Changing Moment with Chief Seattle’s Words

I’ll never forget that day. I was standing at the edge of a forest, watching the sky change colors as the sun set. The air was cool and fresh, and a river sparkled as it flowed nearby. Everything felt so alive, so perfect, and for the first time, I truly understood the meaning of Chief Seattle’s words:

“How can you buy or sell the sky? The land? If we do not own the freshness of the air and the sparkle of the water, how can you buy them? The earth does not belong to man; man belongs to the earth. ”

“ എങ്ങനെയാണ് ആകാശവും ഭൂമിയും കച്ചവടം ചെയ്യാൻ കഴിയുക? വായുവിൽ കുളിർമയോ വെള്ളത്തിന്റെ തിളക്കമോ നമ്മുടെയാരുടേയും സ്വത്തല്ല 

ഭൂമി മനുഷ്യന്റെതല്ല :മനുഷ്യൻ ഭൂമിയുടേതാണ്. 

-ചീഫ് സിയാറ്റിൽ (Malayalam translation )”

I had read those words before, but standing there, surrounded by nature’s beauty, they hit me differently. They weren’t just words anymore—they were a truth I could feel in my bones.

A New Perspective

For most of my life, I didn’t think much about the earth. Land, water, air—these were just things I used without a second thought. But in that moment, I realized how wrong I’d been. The mountains didn’t care about ownership. The river didn’t need permission to flow. The earth wasn’t something to own—it was something to belong to.

I thought about how often I’d taken these gifts for granted. Clean air, fresh water, fertile soil—things I depended on every day but rarely appreciated. I had always seen them as resources, never as relationships.

A Personal Promise

That day changed me. I decided I didn’t want to just take from the earth anymore. I wanted to give back. I started small—using less, wasting less, and taking care of the little corner of the world around me. I planted trees, cleaned up trash, and tried to live in a way that respected the planet.

But the biggest change wasn’t in what I did—it was in how I saw the world. The air I breathed, the water I drank, the land beneath my feet—they weren’t just “things” anymore. They were sacred gifts, connecting me to something far greater than myself.

Passing It On

I’m sharing this story with you because I believe we all have the power to make a difference. You don’t need to stand in a forest to feel connected to the earth. Just step outside. Look at the sky. Feel the breeze. Remember that we don’t own these things—they’re part of us, and we’re part of them.

Chief Seattle’s words taught me something simple yet profound: the earth doesn’t need us to survive, but we need it. If we take care of it, we’re really taking care of ourselves.

So the next time you see a sparkling river or feel the cool air on your face, pause for a moment. Let it remind you of your place in this incredible world—not as its owner, but as someone who belongs to it. Just like I did that day.