Selina | Sketa Oz

My Enigma...

14/8/2018

Every day we wake to a new day - full of infinite possibilities, opportunities and sights to marvel upon. We push forth through life with determination to bring about change; be it in our own immediate sphere or further abroad, in hope someone like-minded will agree or listen to our plea.

Whether we realise it or not, each of us searches for recognition - of our existence, that we matter, that we are appreciated, that our lives have been sufficiently significant, so that we will be remembered by others because of how we lived our lives, how we have interacted with family, friends, society, the planet and the expectations life places upon us all.

Sometimes, in that search for significance, life in all its complexities becomes so overwhelming one takes on board every last problem the world has to offer - as if it is one’s own responsibility to resurrect them. Highly sensitive people find it extremely difficult to switch off and will spend every waking and sleeping moment, worrying about the world’s issues and how to come up with a plan to fix them. However, such problems are usually problems every human being on the planet should be thinking about; formulating ideas to solve because one human being alone, is just not enough.

The coined phrase – ‘your circle of influence’, eagerly suggested in conversation with a family member has helped me realise one can not move mountains or change the landscape of such a mountain, until there is reach enough to go around the mountain.

So this is my enigma…

Each morning, I leave fresh for work and on my travels to school - I sight dozens of mutilated, native animal carcasses, freshly killed from the night before. In the 50 minutes or so to my final destination, this horrible sight beholds me each morning. It makes me think, how many of these deaths could have been avoided, if one considered to slow down in areas of prolific wildlife?

I do believe that although our animals take a back burner in the eyes of many Australians - as worthy creatures to preserve, I am of the belief all creatures great and small, intelligent or dory – have the right to life, an existence. Each too, has equal rights to a dignified death. We are no more or less worthy of life, but yet we are the only species on the planet that continues to eradicate those in our way.

The creatures of which I speak, are struggling to find water, struggling to find food on the drought-stricken lands of South East Queensland. For the most part, these creatures venture to the sides of the road to nibble on fresh grass shoots that have managed to spring up with the settling of early morning dew.

Yes, such creatures will be startled suddenly; yes, it is a problem to you as a driver. Though if you remember these gentle creatures want nothing from us, except the right to life and the right to feed to sustain that life – you will be considerate enough to slow down at dawn and dusk. We do this for our children going to school in a school zone; we do this for our fellow pedestrians at the crossing; we slow down for bird wildlife around nature reserves and yes, I’m sure we can all slow down for our protected native, iconic Australian wildlife.

These creatures have families as we do, feel pain and are at a loss at the death of a family member – just like us.

Please consider our wildlife and maybe your example will help tourists respect our wildlife, too. For if we can’t show just cause to respect such creatures, why will tourists or immigrants even bother?

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