Companion or Enemy

With the sincere heart full of respect, the hurdle of communication was shattered;

with the genuine mind filled with deference, the chord-striking relationship was established. From the flipping pages, I perceived harmony and concord. The author didn’t just portray a story about a brave Eskimo girl and her wolves, but a way that humans should follow when getting along with nature.

In the story, after escaping from her village, Miyax got lost on the tundra; nevertheless, she obtained love and care from a pack of wolves. Though their relationship

started with hostility and fear, it ended up with sincere affection and friendliness. The

transition was touching, for Miyax and her wolves built a specie-straddling connection with each other via one comprehending the other wholeheartedly and respecting each other.

Amaroq’s death was heartbreaking, and what submerged me in much deeper sorrow

was that he was shot to death due to human hunters’ meaningless pastime. Such brutality

reflected the damage that humans have done to nature and the disrespectful attitude

humans hold toward the environment. Mother Nature, the origin of all living beings, has been harmed by humans from many aspects. For economic profits, humans deforested, replacing rain forests with agricultural fields and stock farming areas, which deprived many creatures of their natural habitats; for the desire for delicacies, humans fished and hunted excessively, decimating various animal species. Furthermore, a great number of companies emerged on account of the industrialization, and the toxic fumes as well as waste water produced by them have contributed to severe air and water pollution. Eventually, such destruction led to the counterattack of nature, including extreme weather, wildfires, and flood, all of which thereby caused serious damage to human society. Humans and nature kept hurting each other constantly, which reminded me of nothing but the relationship between enemies.

However, from my point of view, the relationship between humans and nature

shouldn’t be that. We ought to be companions protecting and loving each other, just like

Miyax and her wolves, rather than enemies harming each other. The harmonious relation

between Miyax and the wolves was based on mutual respect, which was definitely also what we humans need to learn from this book. On one hand, to communicate with the wolves, Miyax tried to imitate how they behaved and adjusted some of her behavior out of deference to their nature. On the other hand, although the author didn’t depict in detail, the respect the wolves had for Miyax still could be seen in some parts; for example, Amaroq sometimes agreed Miyax to stand on her feet. In short, in my opinion, it was the mutual respect that broke the barrier of species and language, thus building the genuine relationship. Hence, when we are expanding our world of commerce and industry or improving our quality of life, we shouldn’t ignore the impact our action may have on the environment and only take our profits and delight into consideration. Instead, what we ought to do is comprehend what nature truly needs and make the effort to strike a balance between humans’ demand and nature.

I have ever read an article called “Steel Butterflies,” which depicted a virtual world

where all butterflies were dead and no longer existed, and humankind created the “steel

butterflies,” which were essentially machines made of metal, as a substitute for the real ones. I find such a world terrifying and undesirable because I think the beauty of natural lives can never be replaced with artificial matter. As a result, to protect our lovely and precious nature, it is indispensable for we humans to understand the significance of nature, live our lives more sustainably, and treat the environment with mercy. I believe that one day, when humans and nature truly become companions, our world must be far more beautiful and beautiful.