Simplicity

Beauty and ugliness are everywhere, even in some of the same things. To some a wide open prairie is empty and colorless, but to others it is uncluttered simplicity, the way life itself ought to look. --Indian Chief, 1796

A few days ago I came across this quote. I can relate to it very well. I grew up in Massachusetts, USA and I am used to having lots of hills and trees. There are mountains near where I grew up and I liked to see them. Flat land and anywhere without either lots of trees or tall buildings wasn't something I was used to and I felt that living in such a place would be boring.
Last summer I took a train across the country to Montana. On the way there I saw lots of flat land. While in North Dakota I saw a beautiful sight--a large field of sunflowers. There were sunflowers as far as I could see. A person could get lost in them. I couldn't help but be impressed. When I later met my friend, she took me out in her van and she kept exclaiming how beautiful the grass was. Her area is very flat and there were few trees. It was becoming autumn and the grass became a yellowish colour. She said the grass was so beautiful and golden during that time of year. It had its own beauty.
The town was on a Native American reservation. I was given a card by a Native man, who drew it himself. It was of a bird. The bird was drawn in geometric shapes. That is typical Native art. I still have the card somewhere.
I do think that we can see the beauty in the simplest of things. Simplicity lets us admire small details without clutter. Open space is part of the picture, not a void.