RIVER OF DOUBT

                                                          

I just finished reading a book called, “THE RIVER OF DOUBT.” The story took place in the jungles of the Amazon, when an expedition led by Theodore Roosevelt, a former President of the United States, tried to navigate the river from close to its source, to where it emptied into the Amazon. No one had ever done it before so there were no maps and to be truthful, they had no idea how long the journey was going to be. It was 1914 so once they had set their canoes adrift, they were no more communications with anyone and no chance of rescue. Their water crafts were crudely made dugout canoes. Malaria and dysentery were widespread amongst the crew of twenty some. It wasn’t a matter of if you were going to get sick but how bad you were going to get sick. The jungle Indians who lived along the river would most likely kill you if they saw you. The heat, humidity and constant rain made conditions deplorable. In short, they had no directions and no chance of help if things got bad,

I have often thought about life’s journey in the context of a meandering river. We have little idea where we are going and what we are going to meet along the way. Like Roosevelt and his men, once we set foot on the journey there is no going back, no do-overs. We don’t know what is ahead and we have to make a lot of it up as we go. We do have one advantage and that is the good examples that have been put out there for us to learn by. That is if we want to listen to them. This journey has been taken before by countless millions of people and they have told their stories time and again. We also have the advantage of a huge support group that will share that knowledge again and again, in case we weren’t paying attention. The longer time goes on the more information is available. In short, we have a multitude of directions.

Great cooks have recipes that they refer to in their cooking. Oh, they may tweak things as they go along but for the most part, they don’t want to ruin what has already been acclaimed to be, good and to the satisfaction of their followers. Change, for the sake of change is not the way they operate. They simply follow the directions that have been time tested true and accepted and reap the accolades.

It makes one wonder, as everyday we set about destroying the world we live in, why is there this rush to get rid of this place. Everyday plant and animal species that called the earth home disappear forever. Yes, because we are here, and in the numbers we are, some of this will happen no matter what we do. But much of it could be slowed down or prevented by mitigating the sources. That same jungle that Roosevelt traveled through is fast disappearing and with it the indigenous tribes that lived there. Within a few decades it probably won’t be fit for any human life to live in anyway.

We have a government that is driven by money. They spend billions in donations to get elected and then they spend billions in return to repay the favors. It matters little who it is or what they stand for. It’s the nature of the game and the only ones who can change it are the people who participate in it. It is a recipe for disaster.