#52Ancestors, Nearly Forgotten

In the tricky, concerning times that we are experiencing right now across the globe, there are some lessons we can learn from the past. Thoughts and habits lost to the mists of time.

It is said that the memory of each us will be lost, when the last person speaks our name. It is the same with natural disasters, pandemics, war horrors. These events are well documented in history, in books, documentaries, journals and diaries, newspapers and letter. But once there remains no-one to share their experience; no-one with living memory we are at risk of losing that wisdom and insight.

Our ancestors lived through many similar events. They went to war, they lost children and family members to smallpox, typhus, cholera and measles in a world where vaccination did not exist. They lived more sustainably but still many struggled with food shortages due to poor growing seasons and drought; many suffered terribly through famine. They survived floods, earthquakes, hurricanes and cyclones. They tried to warn us; sometimes we listened, other times we did not, in some cases we disregarded their stories.

Authors such as Charles Dickens and Charlotte Bronte included references to smallpox and typhus out breaks in “Bleak House” and “Jane Eyre”. They described through their characters how social distancing was practiced and how those actions protected others who were already vulnerable. #SocialDistancing isn’t a new catchphrase we have made popular with a hashtag. It was common sense – even then. Shakespeare even mentioned the plague in The Tempest. They made movies – how many of you have re-watched Contagion recently ?

Newspapers reported accounts of earthquakes in colonial New Zealand, of tsunami reaching the shore from South America, of volcanic eruptions, severe storms and extreme weather. Newsreels documented the carnage of war and news events around the globe. More recently television and the internet have become the medium for us to seek out news.

Maps drawn by early settlers highlighted issues with land stability; swamps, floodplains, aquifers – but we knew better and drained or diverted waterways and built our cities and towns where they would not have.

Stone carvings discovered in the clean up after the 2011 tsunami in Japan warned of the dangers of building close to the sea. Voices from the past, ignored and hidden by time, long forgotten stories dismissed.

Right now. When environmentalists and our youth have been championing climate change; demanding that governments and industry stop, take toll of the damage caused and begin to repair it, live more sustainably – no progress has been made. But yet a virus – seemingly of man’s making – has brought the human race to its knees.

The planet has begun to heal as humans across the globe battle the virus, attempt to contain it and then to eradicate it. We are reconnecting with each other, with families, with friends, making memories with our children as we learn to live in a very different world. Slow living, mindfulness, an appreciation for what we have. We are doing the things we have always put off, learning new skills and looking at our world in awe.

In Venice fish can be seem swimming in the canals, the water is clearer, our skies have less pollution, air quality is better on every continent, we are seeing the night sky. In northern India residents are documenting the clear skies and the views they have once more of the Himalayas hundreds of kilometres away – a sight not seen in more than 30 years.

These are the things WE MUST hold on to. THIS is the lesson we have to leave for OUR future generations. THESE are the facts we want them to know, to remember, just as our ancestors wanted us to remember their experiences in times of hardship or adversity.

We must extol the features of our new world and way of life to everyone; we must sell the idea to each person, organisation, conglomerate, government as we step with trepidation back into life as it was. We must tell everyone we can about our actions, what we did and what we didnt, what worked and what didn't; but most importantly - what we learnt. We must sell the benefits of continuing to embrace what we have rediscovered, not just for us and our families but for our homes – our planet.

This is our opportunity to have our voices heard, to implement change and to influence the wellbeing of future for our race and our planet. Don’t let our lessons be forgotten. We CAN work together. We CAN do this.