The magic of borneo
10/24/2017
What comes to mind when you hear this word? Borneo. Maybe you feel all warm and fuzzy like me?
Perhaps there is a resonance of something you can’t even name, somewhere inside. It strikes a chord, so deep that you must become completely still in order to notice it?
You are not alone.
Borneo.
The vibration of these letters reflect our dreams to us, our very own ethereal imagination, where fantasy and reality blend like in a multidimensional melting pot, dreaming of a world still being an innocent place, a jungle, so full of wild animals and beautiful flowers, creatures unknown to mankind, and of course, majestic trees, emanating presence and authority.
As this place it will stay alive in our memory, long after it disappeared from the face of the earth. The greed of our human species knows no limits and we are continuing to penetrate the beauty of this arcane place with an entitlement that is unparalleled.
We have started to behave like this a long time ago. We entered this sanctuary of perfect ecological balance without asking permission, and we went and searched for mineral resources. Our search, like so many times before and after, was a selfish one. It did not involve looking at the harmony of the place or it’s indigenous inhabitants, being the Dayak people. We didn’t care about their traditions, their wealth of understanding the forest or how to live and survive in it. We came and took what we wanted as if we were in la-la land, and as if the natural resources are just here, waiting to be extracted through our heavy machinery and our brilliance when it comes to exploiting thoroughly. We have not asked and so far not given back. We just came and took and left barren, devastated land, deprived of color, diversity and life. Besides, we treated and still treat the people who’s home this is, like second class citizens, and that is, if they were lucky. Yes, this is who we are and unless we are taking active steps against this, we are part of that team, whether we like it or not.
Do you know where Borneo is and that it used to be home to the world’s largest population of Orang Utans?
Leopards, Lizards, Apes and Monkeys of all kinds, Bears and of course the most stunning Birds. A living paradise which brings the most exquisite sense of peace and belonging to anyone entering it with an open heart and mind.
But in our blindness we trade this sense of peace and balance for something inferior, and we don’t even know it.
Now, two thirds of this Rainforest paradise and all it’s inhabitants are gone. Burned down, diminished, killed, murdered brutally through human greed and ignorance.
I would love to tell a more uplifting story but the reality isn’t a gentle one. Thousands of forest fires, mostly man made, have cleared the land here, all to be transformed into palm oil plantations as soon as the soil has cooled down.. That very palm oil that is used in the production of anything city people can’t live without. From cookies to ice cream, from shampoo to detergent, microwave pizza and ready made lasagna. A cheap substitute for anything more sustainable. Cheap? Not really. We are paying for it with the lungs of the earth, with our very precious natural sanctuaries and the lives of thousands of species that were here long before us.
Do not think for a minute that because Borneo is a faraway place, it doesn’t affect us. It does, for all is connected on this earth. What happens here affects us all in our well being, irrespective of where we happen to be in the world and if we are aware of it.
Please, let us consider the possibility of taking responsibility for our choices. If palm oil and mineral resources aren’t lucrative, these companies run out of business. At this time in human history, I believe every single individual is asked to step up in the best way possible. What that entails in my case or your case, we must find out for ourselves, however, it will be a journey deeper into who we are and our human coding.
Nature has it, that there is always a reward for honest and humble action.
We can trust her
