Rediscovering a Passion

After ten days with the Maasai I was torn. I was ready to move on, but I also didn't want to leave all of the friends we had made. That was something to which we grew very accustomed. We were in the different places long enough to become close to the community but we always had to move. It gives me a reason to go back. Our hearts never left anyone, though. Each person left impressions on us and we all changed because of their friendship. We will never forget any of them. 

A brief safari occupied our next few days. It was a nice break from the work. I had seen many of the creatures before but they really and truly never get boring. Each time it's surreal. They all look so beautifully natural in their home environment–as they should. This is where they're supposed to be. They are supposed to be alive and peaceful not killed for sport, their pelt or tusks. I understand killing an animal and then using every part of it for something, but the killings that happen in East Africa are not like this. They are simply killed. I will never comprehend it and I will always be trying to stop it from happening. 

Each animal there is incredibly majestic. Elephants are my favorites, I think. They are massive yet you know they would never hurt you unless they were provoked. It's not in their nature. They're so graceful and quiet, and their eyes convert a wisdom beyond what most humans deem animals capable. They truly are gentle giants. 

All of them are beautiful, though, and they all remind me of the importance of conservation. We only have this one little earth. If we destroy it, there is really no guaranteed way of getting it back. Everything these creatures do is what they're supposed to be doing–what they're programmed to do, one could say. Granted you could also argue that humans are doing what we're programmed to, but I think that if we claim to be so intelligent we should be able to figure out the proper way to treat the earth. 

Safari helped me find my passion for nature again.There is so much we can learn from it. It's how everything began and how everything should continue. Humans are simply clouds crossing the skies of time. We should recognize the greater power and respect it. It's not even just the animals that make me feel this way, either. I feel so small yet alive when I'm riding in a bumpy safari vehicle simply looking out at all the beauty in the world. The open spaces are what makes me feel like I belong. After spending the past two years trying to stop the building of a highway through the Serengeti going there and seeing it for myself was a dream come true. It reminds me of the ocean; it's vast and compelling and essentially silent. It's one of the most enchanting places I have ever been. Putting a highway in the middle of it would be devastating for everyone and everything. 

Everyone needs a rafiki.