“They didn't tell us what it would be like without the trees” Tina Morris
This regretful quote can be seen differently by each pair of foreign eyes as they try to grasp its meaning. It can be supported by many others of which my personal favourite is:
“Only after the last tree has been cut down; Only after the last fish has been caught; Only after the last river has been poisoned; Only then will you realize that money cannot be eaten.” Cree Indian Prophecy
Every time I read either of these quotes a debilitating knot forms in my stomach, the pressure builds behind my eyes and I find my self swallowing the raw emotion lying in wait at the back of my throat.
No matter your interpretation these words will always be heart wrenching and brimming with regret and sorrow. Why? Because these simple, naked words bring to mind the ingrained selfishness and stupidity of the human race; one which we all count ourselves card carrying members. To our crippling dismay and almost exterminated relief, the guilt of our daily sins confronts us.
My dreams are common for a young woman on the verge of truly growing up. I dream of a career at which to thrive. I dream of falling in love with my prince. I dream of a family of my own to love and cherish. Simply put I dream of happiness. However these bald quotes cause my obtuse mind to question if my frivolous yet earnest dreams could possibly thrive in a world rotting from the core? Are we unable to see the hurt and harm we cause with our shallow behaviour? Or is our collective malady even more horrifying? Do we choose to ignore the distress calls and hopeless cries of those we consciously do not to aid?
As we pass the should-be-humbling poverty ever present in our lives, what is our reaction? We could terribly and easily turn away innately believing that, because we cannot change the suffocating world or dying community, we should never reach out to the desperate individual. We would never grasp the reality of expending energy for such a minor return. We know, like a child knows its mother, that the fates would laugh at our pitiful attempts to add light to the chamber of despair. Alternately, we could focus on the starving and only see their smiling faces, not realizing that they are living on hope and hope alone. Their battered bodies, broken shoes and torn clothes would be invisible to the love they were capable of. None can definitively decide which is the lesser of two evils.
When the guilt of the insensitivity of the world ravages our souls, when a quote causes us untold emotion, how are we able to survive? Are we blind or do we simply not see?