Box of Light is made possible thanks to these visionaries:
Have a think about the past 18 months. What has happened to the world? Covid seems to have spun the world off its axis completely. People have gone mad. The virus is a worry, but people's reactions to it have been more worrisome.
Here's what bugs me. Mandates: not really into them. Raw sewage dumped into Wellington harbour: not really into that either. People dying of Covid: really dislike that. Police resource tied up moving concrete blocks and dealing with nutters: not a fan. Tin foil hats: I'm okay with them. Lambs with black blood courtesy of vaccine super shedders: hell yeah! Nano bots in the bloodstream: my personal favourite – tracking my mundane life would be an insomnia cure at least. Conspiracy theories: love them in fiction, but really quite divisive in real life. Parliament occupations: sounded really cool to begin with then hijacked by religious nutters and extremists, fail. Copycat occupations: nope. NZ Government plans to move away from mandates: great. Protesters seem to miss the memo, carry on protesting: doh.
We're all privileged living here in New Zealand. And for some it feels like the compromise they have had to make throughout the Covid pandemic (free vaccination, lockdowns etc) is testament to having their rights to freedom thrown away. I'm sorry for those who temporarily lost jobs and can no longer eat at their favourite restaurant, but there is a bigger picture that we're relatively isolated from. New Zealand is incredible because of all its diversity. Some of our diverse communities are high-risk to Covid. Rampant Covid would have a very significant impact on their survivability. That's why we took the path we did across the motu.
Think about the people of Ukraine. Think about their freedoms right now. Think about their future.
As I am writing this the people of Ukraine, who are a society just like ours, are writing their children's blood groups onto their clothing to improve their chances of survival as Russia bleeds into their homes. Think about that reality. That is perspective.
See you at the beach ... Derek
PS I've been asked to speak about my experience with sea lions along our coast at Wild Dunedin this April. It's a huge privilege to be asked and I'm looking forward to the opportunity to share my fascination with these curious creatures. Mark April 22-28 in your calendar and check out the Wild Dunedin website for more info.
Box of Light is made possible thanks to these visionaries: