Real-feels

Tonight I had the most overwhelming feeling of hopelessness and despair for my beloved country and the species that call it home. Having finally convinced myself that it was time to go to bed after reading a few pages from “A Rhino in My Garden” by Conita Walker, a thoughtful gift given to me by my loving sister, I was overcome with a deep sense of loss. I guess it’s the distance from home and feeling utterly useless while I tackle my much-anticipated MSc degree, or maybe it’s just hormones? Who knows what brought it along, perhaps reading of Conita’s immense love for the orphaned rhino and hippo she was raising, or her comparison of the slaughter of Africa’s wildlife to WW2, whatever it was, it just made me question the purpose of all of this. This life we’re all aimlessly living. Why have I been burdened (but mostly gifted) with this intense need to protect Africa’s heritage? Or this feeling of disparity? Why are so few of us so empathetic towards other species?

A great read so far!

Being in Europe, experiencing its vastness and the constant rush, I finally understand why Africa is so far removed from everything and everybody. How could they possibly feel the same affection for a country that they can’t even relate to? Hungary (or the meniscal) part that I have had the privilege of seeing is beautiful, but Africa, how to even describe it? I just feel at such peace when I'm in the field, content in whatever moment I find myself. 

She has her own kind of magic that once it latches on, you’ll never be rid of it. And oh, how grateful I am that I feel this deep love. It gives my life purpose. This fire within me, no matter what life throws at me, I pray that this fire will never be extinguished. I pray that human greed will not harden my heart towards others. I pray that future generations reconnect to nature, that they also feel this urgency to protect her, not just for our own survival but for those we share the planet with. At the moment we're leaving such a pitiful legacy behind. 

It’s not just the blood trail that one nations greed for every possible living creature is leaving behind, but it’s the small acts or lack thereof that slowly gnarls at my already limited tolerance towards human ignorance.

** rant to follow

It blows my mind that my generation isn't more aware of their lifestyle choices, ignorance is bliss, although it's not even ignorance anymore because with today's media, there is no way you can't not know about the impact we're having on the planet. I, myself am no saint I know that, there is always more that can be done, but it’s easier too see others’ faults than your own right?

I'm constantly asking myself - how did we get to this point? Of course, as all species, we are naturally inclined to out-compete others for survival, but are we really that ignorant to think we'll survive this rate of exploitation? We've literally just been warned by climate scientists that if we don't reduce our greenhouse gas emissions immediately to prevent a temperate increase of 1.5 degrees, we'll experience unimaginable consequences. I wonder if this warning will actually result in anything other than small groups of committed individuals trying to push for change. 

 Another thing that infuriates me is the imbalance between the wealthy and the impoverished. I’ll never understand how a wealthy person, who’s basically exploited natural resources for his/her own gain, would rather spend more money adding to his/her already overly materialistic lifestyle than fund environmental projects or just live a more sustainable lifestyle. It’s sad really. Maybe because I have a very minimalist view on living  (unless it comes to vintage things than I'm a sucker), but so many are obsessed with owning whatever society deems fashionable or a "must have" item, only to replace that very item whenever the next fad comes along. It's just so wasteful and unnecessary. 

 ** rant over. For now ;) Now I can finally get some sleep, if 4 hours can be called that.   

Starting today, let's just do better. We have one Earth, no Mars is not an option let's be realistic. So the only option we have left is to protect what we have. If only everybody would see the planet as a family member, we might treat her better. 

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