NEWSLETTER | AMAZON RAINFOREST | HOPE

Seeds for a Starving Earth

The Inspiring Act of One Person With Courage and Conviction

Photo by Lingchor on Unsplash

“I expect to pass through life but once. If therefore, there be any kindness I can show, or any good thing I can do to any fellow being, let me do it now, and not defer or neglect it, as I shall not pass this way again.” William Penn

Hello, and welcome to the Hope, Healing and Humour newsletter.

How have all of you been? What is the weather like in your part of the world? Are there good, kind people around you, and in your life? Have you realised something about yourself that peps you up? Do you go on walks that involve touching a tree trunk? Is there food in your life, mindfully cooked, and gratefully served, even when you’re alone? Do you remember to write every day?

Have you been moved by an inspirational story, or an inspiring person, recently?

Brazilian skydiver Luigi Cani distributed 100 million native seeds over deforested parts of the Amazon rainforest, in one jump

Luigi Cani is a Brazilian sky diving legend. He has 14000 jumps, and 11 world records to his credit. He dispersed a 100 million seeds over the Amazon rainforest, free-falling from a plane.

The Amazon rainforest is called ‘the lungs of the world.’ It spans 5.5 million square kilometeres. Not only does it produce around 20% of the earth’s oxygen, it also sequesters billions of tons of carbon. This one entity does more than any other single factor to reduce global warming.

But in the past 50 years, almost 17% of this precious treasure has been destroyed. With the growth of the Brazilian economy, logging and infrastructure projects have increased. Vast swathes of dense tree-filled land have been levelled to facilitate man’s greed.

It was a difficult enterprise requiring five years of meticulous planning and permits from various departments. The box was necessarily a big biodegradable one. Three times before the actual event, the box broke, probably because of the sheer load of the seeds.

Cani had to judge distance and speed and broadcast the seeds in the trageted area in which deforestation had taken place. He jumped from an altitude of 6500 feet. He had to stabilise himself, in the air. He had to hold the huge seedbox. He had to make sure that he didn’t plunge to his death.

“I nearly broke my wrist and fingers holding the box, but at 6,000 feet, everything aligned, and I released the seeds exactly as planned. It was complete ecstasy,” he recalled.

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One man. One mission. Not to destroy, but to create green lives that he might not even live to see. And yet, he went ahead, putting his life on the line, for the sake of generations that might not remember his name, or this feat of courage and compassion.

This is how the Earth heals. This, is reason for hope.

Gloom-and-doom news pours in from all parts of the world.

1. An Indian billionaire-industrialist has received official sanction to destroy centuries-old forests in India.
2. The vaccinations that all governments mandated, once, are now being shown to have created serious health issues, and fatalities. Two of the people who created them are now being charged in various courts.

And yet, one man feels that the Earth is worth saving, and does his bit to reverse the destruction caused by man’s greed and desire for control. If we search for examples we can find them. If we look for the goodness, they are not difficult to find.

What can we do? Well, for one thing, be mindful of what we forward…and attract. Are our inboxes full of negativity? Do we ‘like’ and subscribe to them? If we do, then AI and the algorithm will feed us more of what we seem to want.

I am not saying that we should shut our minds to what is happening in the world, that science and technology must be shunned. Luigi Cani would not have been able to make his jump, without them. But we need to look for good things and good people, and news about them, too.

But on some days, everything that one hears about the world is overwhelming. On those days, it makes sense to do what I call a selective digital detox. Unplug yourself from all that is upsetting. Listen to music. Read a book. Gaze at a tree. Listen to birds. Write a poem. Watch a non-confrontational movie: think Ghibli classics.

This is one of the personal favourites on my list: Himalayan flute music.

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What is your personal example of one person who made a difference? How does the news of the world affect you? What do you do to keep yourself balanced? Which music do you listen to when you’re upset? Do you have a favourite book that you read to make you feel better? Is there a person you communicate with when you are down in the dumps? Does writing make you feel better? Is Medium a good medium of communication? Do faith and religion bolster your mood?

These are the stories of healing, hope and humour, which are the oxygen supply of the Hope, Healing and Humour pub:

Maria Rattray in her signature narrative style that combines compassion, courage and conviction, and responds to the HHH prompt, with a breath of Scottish countryside:

[embed]We Looked Out For Each Other, We Problem-Solved, and We Saved the World And nobody diedmedium.com

Paul Gardner takes a refreshing look at the constantly overlooked-and-taken-for-granted blessings of everyday life:

[embed]What Elephant Will You Discover Today? The Problemmedium.com

Sujona Chatterjee admits that she does overthink, but perhaps it’s her sixth sense talking, in this movingly personal narrative:

[embed]When Overthinking Is Just Your Gut Telling the Truth I sometimes wish that endless thought loop was a liemedium.com

Maria Rattray weaves a classic tapestry of the light and dark moments in her life, which rendered me misty-eyed at its first reading:

[embed]The Overwhelming Perks of Life in the Country Expect the unexpectedmedium.com

Sujona Chatterjee advocates the joys of waiting for good things to come our way, rather than the insistence on instant gratification:

[embed]Whatever Happened to the Art of Waiting? Create for no one but yourselfmedium.com

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