Earth: Respect – Protect – Connect

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

12 thoughts on “Earth: Respect – Protect – Connect

    • 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

  1. 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.

  2. 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.

  3. 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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