I've heard that life passes in the blink of an eye, that the most significant moments last far less than a second, and that in the vastness of the universe, seconds and time don't exist. Well, the only thing that truly exists is the present, which, the moment it arrives, is already gone.

As I gaze at the ocean, which now, unlike most times I observe it, isn't turquoise or indigo, today the blue of the sea has a unique hue in my present moment, for it truly is a gift to be here. I'm sitting on the bow of the Galapagos Sky, heading towards Wolf Island, a place my exploration and research in the seas of Mexico has now brought me to, here in Ecuador. Everyone always mentions Darwin; in one way or another, he inspired millions to do what I'm doing today. And like me, millions have explored these islands; what's the point of coming here if so many already know about it? Does this just make me another tourist visiting these islands, like many of my friends who call themselves explorers but are really just repeating what's already known, my biologist friends who come to study what's already been studied? Where is the space to truly generate knowledge, to leave something new in this world where everything seems to have been explored?

Without a doubt, being here continues to be a blessing; perhaps I will become another human hard drive that stores this information so that in the future I can share it with someone else or simply enjoy having a new hard drive full of material in the drawer.

Sea Lion Pup - Alonso I. Rodríguez de la Parra

Although I would have loved to, I don't have the skills or education to generate science; I don't have a degree in biology or any other science. I have a gift that I possibly invented myself because I don't dare say I'm good at it, but I dare to write, I dare to question the very thoughts that I firmly believe to be true, and I always find a little falsehood in my truths, because in the end my opinion is mine, and although I share it with many, for many others I will be completely wrong.

I know these waters are teeming with life, and although sitting here on the bow, I can't see what lies beneath the blue expanse of this enormous energy we call the ocean, what I know is because I've read it, because I saw it in a video on social media, or because I saw it in a documentary when I was little. Through the stories of others, I think I know everything that's out there, that what I haven't yet seen with my own eyes could be put into words to support a debate about what inhabits these waters. Humans are very simple; it's enough to hear the words or see the images of others to believe and tell the stories as if they were our own. That's why I've come here; I want to witness with my own eyes the tales and stories that others carry.

Hammerhead Shark in Wolf - Alonso I. Rodríguez de la Parra

As I've heard from others, I dare say the waters are teeming with sharks, including the famous hammerheads, the emblematic Galapagos shark, and possibly a couple of whale sharks are also prowling these blue waters that I still can't describe. Just when I think I know what blue I'm seeing, I realize it's actually the sky with the sun reflected in these waters, and that the clouds and the different birds flying around make this blue constantly changing. When I think I can describe the blue, it has already changed; it only existed in that fleeting glimpse of the present that I was able to see and now turn into just another story.

Seconds have passed, and barely a wave rises before the one in front has already flattened. Thoughts distract me, and I can swear I could see my entire life flash before my eyes in a few seconds as I gaze at the sea. In the blink of an eye, with that first ray of light that reaches my pupil, the entire theory of evolution unfolds, and in a snap of the fingers, whoever invented this whole world was able to see the simple within the complex and create all this perfect chaos.

Companions from my first visit to the Galapagos (2023) - Jorge Cervéra

In my next blink, I decided not to open my eyes again. I realized the only place no one but me would ever be able to explore. Entering my own head is one of the most terrifying places, for it is full of doors I have closed and don't want to enter. Even though our minds are so close, it's a place that requires a long journey of learning to reach, and even though we think we know ourselves, it takes an enormous effort to truly see yourself as you are, with the good, the bad, the certain, and the uncertain. To see yourself as you are, or as you think you are, to destroy your own image and realize that in the end, you may only be what you think, but at the same time, you may not be.

Sometimes, it's easier to let others describe you, even if they're wrong, and accept it, rather than create an honest image of yourself. Because we are as we see ourselves, we are as others see us, and we are as no one sees us. We simply are.