The Circle of Life: Harmony between Man & Nature

The Circle of Life … words that are pretty much known worldwide and the first thing that comes to mind when we hear them … Elton John and the Lion King no doubt.

Have you ever stopped and actually thought about those words, what they really mean?  In reality those words are probably the best simple explanation of life on this planet, how it works.

Everything on this planet has a reason, whether we agree with it, like it or not, that is just the way it is.  From the ghastly flies and cockroaches which are natures rubbish collectors to the trees which provide us with the vital air we need to breathe.  I know I take these things for granted as no doubt we all do but now and then I hear something that really makes me sit down and think about life on this amazing planet in a bit more detail.

Recently I signed a petition in regards to the culling of Australia’s Native Fruit Bats/Flying foxes.  After reading comments so many people had written it about it, it really made me realise that we are still doing so much irreparable damage through all of the so called “saving conservation” talks.  My point being – the Qld Government (no names mentioned) has said that farmers/orchardists can shoot these beautiful and vitally important creatures pretty much at will. Realistically it all comes down to money doesn’t it – that they are destroying crops.  The small picture .. Destroy  these creatures and the crops will flourish, fruit will be abundant, the farmers will in turn make a huge profit which will in turn trickle down to help the economy and the problem will be sorted.  Really???

Have they really considered the future long term effects this will have?  Fruit bats are actually an extremely vital part of our eco system.  They are major pollinators and also a lot of fruit/plant seeds they eat need to go through their digestive system and be excreted before they will grow. There are certain plants that can only grow this way … So Think Ahead … Over time, without their pollination and seed dispersal qualities there will be a huge break down in nature. The plants which need them will no longer grow, the amount of wildlife (be it insects/birds) that rely on those plants will in turn maybe start to disappear too. Whether or not we want to believe it, everything is connected.  Once it gets down to a disaster level people will then stop and realise the damage that has been done and how once again trying to control what ‘we’ believe is a problem actually becomes a bigger problem and is so much harder to repair and replace.

Unfortunately this seems to have become the way of life now days … an instant fix to make money for the people in higher places – not for the good of keeping our planet liveable and sustainable.  A lot of us say, “I’m only one person, it’s not like anyone will listen”   These are the thoughts that are going to be to our own, our future children/grandchildren’s detriment. As cliché as it sounds – WE are the only ones who can do something about it and it’s no good sitting around moaning to each other about it if we’re not willing to get off our butts and do something about it.  When someone bullies our children or threatens our home/family we are the first ones to jump in to protect them – yet nature, the planet we are living on is our home too – why don’t we all jump in to protect that so quickly?

Whether it be something small like signing, getting behind petitions and support groups, or the way we do things in our own everyday lives be it not using pesticides/herbicides (etc) – We make our own choices and if we want a country/planet good enough to sustain our future generations then we need to start doing something to make sure it happens. Every little thing we do does count, no matter how small we feel it is.

I’m not pushing for you to join in on the Fruit Bat petition (though I would personally be rapt if you did),  I’m trying to give you one small example of what is happening and will continue to happen on a worldwide basis if we don’t have the strength and use our numbers together as one voice to stand up to these things.  The natural “Circle of Life” relies on every creature, be it an ant, spider, fish, lion or human and ‘Circle’ means continuation.. If we want life to continue … Well … What Are “WE” Going To Do About It ??