IT’S THE SMALL THINGS

This is the second in my African adventure realizations series, and truth be told, I do not know how many more will come out of it. That is Africa for you — soul food, mind medicine, and overall, a most transformative, dare I say spiritually awakening experience, different each time. It reminds you, if not, teaches you to appreciate nature, and its beauty at its purest — the kind that we, city people, are heavily deprived of. Animals happily roam freely around you, and for a moment, you forget you are actually not on the set of a National Geographic documentary. It exposes you to a different side of the world — a multitude of cultures who pay homage and tribute to their ancestors and heritage. It reconnects you to the bare minimum, and shows you that as a human race, no matter which hemisphere of the planet we are born in, or what everyday life we live, that we are all rooted in Mother Nature. We, too, are but God’s creation. One experiences the circle of life right before their very eyes. One then realizes that food chains are a real part of the greater community, and sadly, even in the animal kingdom, life is not fair — some prey exist simply to sustain predators. In the same manner, seeing elephants, zebras, impalas and giraffes all co-exist peacefully is a reminder to us humans that regardless of the color of our skin, whether we don stripes or spots, regardless of our size and physical appearance, that harmony is indeed possible. That though predators may be in our midst everyday, we can continue living our lives with the right amount of caution. At the end of the day, human beings truly are the greatest predators of this planet, and we must make a more conscious effort to be more responsible citizens of the world — if only for the sake of our future generations. In the midst of the vast wilderness one also finds the greatest escape from the reality we may be used to. With scarce signal and only areas with select Wi-Fi, you find that (forced or not) you tend to interact with those around you more — even strangers you otherwise would not. You tend to notice the details more prominently, and are not distracted by notifications, phone calls or messages. I was reminded of what being physically pre-sent truly means, and that in this day and age of technology, it is really only in disconnecting that we are fully able to connect. And when we do so, our actions become more purposeful and mindful. And while reality is that we cannot stay in the bush forever, the reminders and nuggets of wisdom that we take with us surely can. Let us be more mindful of our words, and our ways; more purposeful with our actions and decisions. More conscious of those around us, our environment, and how our choices can make an impact in and on the lives of others. At the end of the day, we need not make noise to be noticed, or to make a difference. We simply must be determined and properly informed to enact it.