The last couple of days we have been working at our bush block in the coastal hinterland
Sunshine Coast
Queensland
Well out of harms way of fires
For the moment
But “there for the grace of God go I”
Not that grace has anything to do with what is going on down South
So much country, livestock, wildlife, habitat – gone
The mind spins, tries to comprehend – numbers and stats of loss so huge it goes numb in disbelief
It’s the stories that make more sense
Hurt the most
And the pictures
Today I was talking to a lady whose family are in the midst of the bushfires
Livestock wiped out (died terribly or shot after the fact because their wounds were too horrific) and now they are told they cannot (under any circumstances) drink the water
Because it is toxic
And black with ash and soot – sludge covering the surface of dams, creeks, rivers – water supplies everywhere destroyed
Can you imagine?
My heart rolls in my chest and I’m wondering where the hell the animals are drinking water from
Those that survived
The humans will be alright – the government is sending them water – tonnes of plastic bottles but water nevertheless
The livestock – what is left of them will be taken care of with water trucked in
I’m not so sure of the wildlife – the kangaroos and koalas – the lizards and birds
How can they get fresh water into the wilderness that is left?
I listen to the cicadas and crickets in the evening
Wondering how their brethren fare down south
At breakfast, I watch two ladies sneak up on a dragon lizard napping on a stone in the outdoor cafe – they are delighted by him and want a picture
People
We are delighted by the natural world
Most of us love the interaction with animals – nature – when we finally look up from our screens
Yet it is becoming less and less available
And we are becoming immune
Numb to the natural world and how important it is to our well being
At the most basic level we cannot breathe without oxygen
Oxygen from trees
We need water to drink
Food to eat
Yet so many of us ignorantly assume these things will always be there
You just find these things in the supermarket
Wrong
Ask a person in Batemans Bay how important air quality, water and food are right now
Perhaps if there is one thing to come of this disaster
It is awareness
We are the earth, of the earth and we return to the earth
This is our home
The whole world is watching our home burn
Our animals burn
Our trees burn
Let our awareness
Our grief
Our terror
Resonate around the world
We must stop consuming and begin repairing
How arrogant
How insane
How stupid we have become
I am deeply ashamed
We need to respect the earth
We need to protect the earth
And we need to connect to the earth
Native cultures, living close to the land would never have allowed the destruction and pilfering of the earth to this degree
Because they were connected to their world
We have lost our connection
My previously rather lame (in light of recent events) goals for 2020 have been crumpled and tossed
My goals now are simple
Respect
Protect
Connect
Our earth
If everyone does this – we just may have a chance to begin repairing our natural world
Oh so sad but true, yet there are deniers of scientific fact and proof.
I think people keep waiting for something from the top – it needs to come from the bottom up – when people on their high horses stop raging at the government and start reconnecting and doing what they can themselves and for their community – then we might have real change – it’s got to be from the bottom up and everyone “being the change they want to see” then it will change
Down under from you, the destruction makes me cry.
Very sad 😞
Such a scary time and thoughts are with everyone in Australia. It’s so true that we see perspective in times like these. We all definitely need to respect our earth.
Hopefully that will be the good coming out of the ash
“Respect / Protect / Connect” – I’m with you.
My thoughts are with your country, so sad, so horrible. It’s almost more than one can take in.
And once the fires are out, at least for this season, and the true scope of the anguish is witnessed, what then?
This cannot be undone, no matter how much money and resources are thrown at it. We must change how we live, because ‘extreme’ events like this are our planetary future now.
That’s what I think too Widds – we need to change on every level from the personal through the communal to the global.
I, too, have been following what’s happening in Australia. It’s so sad to think of how many deaths have occurred and will continue. I sincerely hope people realize that we have got to do something about this world or we may lose much more.
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