Mindfulness On Safari…
Have you ever wondered what it is that we are really looking for when on safari? What is it that lures us back again and again?
Surely it is the animals? The elusive leopard, lions on a kill, the stampeding herds of buffalo or the family of elephant huddling around a newborn calf.
I believe that unfortunately we have been misled into thinking that we are going to find what it is we seek, in SEEING or DOING.David Whyte once said that in our endeavour to deal with stress and being overworked, we increase our velocity. This continues to the point where we don’t recognise anything or anyone who is not travelling at the same speed. This brings me to the following question: “Is seeing that leopard not just an objectification of our actual need to identify with a slower more natural pace of life?” A jealousy of “their” indifference to time as we know it.
I also suggest that the desire to witness something “spectacular” at frequent intervals is just a residual consequence of watching too many sensationalist and thus unrealistic, documentary programs. The consequence however is comforting, for not even a nano- second of calm is given, calm that would afford us access to that fearsome frontier of introspection. Introspection which will eventually lead us to further personal evolution.
The voiceless cry of our soul is for the serenity which Nature imbues through her naturally dynamic pace which has a schedule of her own and runs according to a different clock than our 9 to 5.
What we are desperately in need of, is...to...slow...down, break away from the hectic urban/corporate pace and emancipate ourselves from the imposed compulsion to always be productive or actively busy with something. Instead of seeing and doing, we just need to BE.
There is nothing wrong with an active holiday, don’t misunderstand. There is just an inordinate amount of emphasis placed on aspects which precludes us from receiving what we are looking for, insulates us from really connecting...by dis-connecting.
By paying fierce attention to details of the seemingly inane, there is a certain revelation which severs us from the ridiculous fixations instilled by our modern day world. This however requires bravery beyond that of facing a charging ele bull while on trail!
We are left with facing our inner selves.
When time becomes irrelevant and only THIS MOMENT matters, then we are succeeding in shedding the encumbering weight of a skin which clearly needs sloughing. Ridding ourselves of this opaque view will also allow for the privilege of recognising the incredible inherent beauty surrounding us. From the absolute abstract to the supremely sublime.
The magic of spending time in Nature is not in seeing an orchestrated on-tap version of reality, it is the preciousness of those moments where we are rewarded for our indifference to time. These rewards are oft very understated and subconscious.
In the photo sequence above we can be seen spending quality time with a colony of Ponerine ants raiding a termite colony which has been feeding on ele dung boluses.
To some it might seem trivial to “waste” time looking at ants, but the significance of such an encounter is utterly fulfilling due to the recognition of an age-old battle for survival which is the same for impala and lions or termites and ants.
Appreciation of the omnipresent macro/micro processes constantly revealing themselves to the keen eye, is a privilege which enriches even the most boring of excursions! It also adds incredible depth to each day in every environment we find ourselves in, it doesn’t only have to be in the Natural world where our awareness is switched ON.
May this festive season bear the gift of enough decreased velocity to identify with objects travelling at a more natural pace, allowing you access to an awareness of their significance in our everyday lives.
Yours in Nature