Welcome to day six and the last video in my seven day, five books, two videos, daily blogging challenge! Today I have chosen a very short video with a very big message.
I was shown the video for the first time by my son Lucas, an avid nature lover, who saw it on a social media site a number of weeks back. To say that it affected my kids and I would be a gross understatement.
It was created by a UK organization called The Wildlife Trusts and its aim is to bring to light the widespread destruction of habitat and resultant loss of wildlife in the UK in relatively recent years.
Despite being a deep feeler I do not cry easily, but found myself gobsmacked, and almost instantly moved to tears upon watching this powerful, short piece.
Perhaps it was the poignant beginning, with narration by renowned British naturalist and broadcaster Sir David Attenborough, distinguished voice of nature documentaries such as the Life Series and the just released 8 part nature documentary produced by Netflix with the World Wildlife Federation called Our Planet. (Beautiful, poignant and urgent watch.)
Or maybe it was seeing Ratty and Mole, Toad and Badger, the winsome Wind in the Willows characters from my childhood and my teens childhoods, in action once again, but this time to save their beloved homeland.
We, in this household, all are deeply fond of Kenneth Grahams classic children’s book The Wind in the Willows and share a love and concern for the natural world, and dismay at how fast development continues to be permitted to occur.
It matters not why I was so shook up by the little two minute piece. Rather, it matters only that it has not left my heart since I watched it and that I am allowing that to inform my choices I’ve made since, including sharing it with you today.
The video shatters the oh, so prevalent, cozy notion that everything is okay with the natural world as long as evident environmental destruction is NIMBY.
Only yesterday I read an opinion piece by national columnist Andrew MacDougall, ex-director of communications to former Prime Minister Stephen Harper, which makes the point that many adults have been hearing about climate change for most of their adult lives but aren’t really concerned about it.
“… the frog of humanity has now been in the pot for 27 years. Canadians have heard about climate change for most of their adult (if not entire) lives. And most have seen little or no change to their daily routine or circumstance because of it.”
Turning a blind eye to uncomfortable truths is a very human reaction to problems which seem too large or upsetting or difficult to consider. But that does not mean it is the best reaction to difficult situations just because it is a very common one.
Urgently addressing environmental devastation caused by humans over eons is one such very, very difficult truth which the current adults living in the world must now face and one which the video so gently welcomes its viewers to address.
The video is disquieting and hope-filled both and at two minutes long is quite, quite short. A quick little watch, but do not be fooled. This one will linger with you for some time…but that is not a bad thing given the latest report on species at risk.
I truly believe that solutions are everywhere, if we only open our hearts to the possibility they hold. And besides, Ratty and Badger, Mole and Toad make stemming the tide of environmental destruction look so beautifully possible in this video that I am more heartened than sad.
Thanks for reading!
In Hope,
Jill