Trains

The Lunatic Express they called it. East Africas long iron snake. The waiters offered drinks on silver trays. You could wash your socks in the sink. The curious wildlife sauntered past the windows. The sounds and smells drifted in. It rattled and creaked. Wallowing. Mesmeric. Soporific.  Sometimes it would stop for no apparent reason. It was not convenient. It was sometimes dangerous. It was time stretched and malleable. Like an accordion. Breathing music. Life. Delight.

It’s gone now.

Replaced by convenience.

Efficient. Quick.

Soulless?

I can still hear it breathing.

Inconvenience

I love the word inconvenience. It tells me that it might be difficult. It tells me that I might have to try a different idea; a different thought or way. It tells me that others will avoid it. It throws down a challenge to me. Offers me an opportunity to grow. To re-wire. To adapt. Evolve. It says I can’t be lazy. I can’t have it easy. It won’t be quick. But it whispers of interests and thoughts and depths. It says I might fail. Fall. It might offer boredom. A hole for me to fill. On my own. Without any help. It might laugh at me. Others might too. I might laugh at myself. I might cry in frustration. Feel like giving up. Turn to face the convenient way. But I won’t step that way.

It’s dull. Trodden. Easy. Boring.

It’s not Wild.

Yonder is.

Here is to inconvenience.

Out of the way

I love getting out of the way. I’m used to it. My wife asks me to do it all of the time. I think I have it down to a fine art. Wherever I am I am in the way. So it gives me exercise and keeps me on my toes. Waiting. To be moved on. To get out of the way. So. Sometimes I just go in a different room. Sometimes though….sometimes. Well. Out of the way means getting on a bus, camel, canoe, plane.

Sometimes I get in the way on purpose.

You never know where a little encouragement might lead.

Let’s get out of the way more often.

Yonder?

A plastic bag

A year or so ago I was lucky enough to find myself in the Massai Mara, Kenya. I was travelling with some Massai guides. Travelling along. Eyes alert to movement. Suddenly, we stopped. I craned my neck to see why we had stopped: lion? leopard? cheetah? No. The guide got out of the vehicle and climbed a tree. Was it a better view point? I started to climb out of the vehicle. No need. The point of interest?

A plastic bag.

Just one.

But.

It was 100 miles away from the nearest habitation. They blow into the parks. In amongst the leaves of the trees. Hard to see. Harder to see than a lion in the savannah grasses. The giraffe eat them. Then they suffocate.

Kenya has banned plastic bags. As a nation.

Bravo!

Now? How about the rest of us?

Amazon

Having recently returned from Borneo it was very worrying to hear about the fires deliberately started for clearing in the Amazon rainforest. Unfortunately it wasn’t surprising. It is a pattern the world over. The tribes are isolated. Have little or no political voice. So are easily manipulated/coerced into either selling or leasing their lands. If they resist loggers take it anyway. Then the tribes have to accept the terms of lease for oil palm plantations. Usually 60 years. This then has a huge knock on effect for the flora and fauna in the area. Orangutans can’t build nests in oil palm trees. And after those 60years? Well. Nobody seems to know much, or care. They’ve made their money. Or not, as is the case for the locals.

So, what can we do? As consumers we can make simple positive steps:

1. stop buying products with palm oil.

2. stop buying products made of hard wood.

3. donate to charities such as World Land Trust or Rainforest Alliance - instead of buying products we don’t really need.

These simple steps if done by enough people send messages that can have real, long lasting impacts for all. Future generations will thank us for it.