As the sun went slowly down the western horizon, the wind miraculously reduced to a breeze……so prayers do work! Thanks.
The early morning start was beautiful – looking up from our temporary tent city in the desert, a stream of runners moved briskly up the sand dune away from where we sought refuge just a few hours ago, starting on another day of gruesome adventure amid some of the most glorious scenery. There are some rewards that you only deserve if you are willing to put up with the pain and suffering, something that I could only dream of for now.
Living out here in the desert made me think about humankind’s eternal fight with the elements. We have won some, and lost some but I am unsure whether we are really winning. Out here with only my barest possessions I realised I actually don’t need a lot to survive – a tent over my head, warm clothing on my body, and some food to keep the engine going. In our epic journey to exert control on the environment we live in, we have managed to create a very comfortable world that is more than necessary for our survival. Whilst we enjoy the fruits of human progress our predecessors toiled to provide us with, we are also destroying the very environment that nurtured our forefathers. The world we live in is definitely not the same as before, and it does not take a film like The Inconvenient Truth to tell us that the rate of deterioration is much faster than we want to believe. The beautiful nature that has cradled this group in the last few days is precious but also very fragile, and we have very strict trash policy of not leaving anything that is not biodegradable behind. I thought everybody would know this, but it still takes us volunteers more than an hour every day to clear the campsite, picking up random trash brought over from all over the world, even though we have provided more than ample garbage bags all around the campsite. If adults cannot act responsibly and provide children with an example, maybe the children should take on that role. I believe this is what’s happening now with better awareness and education at school. Hopefully one day, these children will be the same people who will take on the challenge in continuing human progress by advancing technologies that will reverse the destruction to our precious world.
Enough on the environment for now. This is a race of extraordinary physical and mental challenge, and it takes extraordinary men and women to put themselves through it. Not only is this a great opportunity to challenge oneself, it is also a great opportunity to meet these extraordinary people, that you would normally just pass by without saying hi, in a very intimate environment. This also goes for the volunteers who work extremely hard to make the event possible. I have met a very wise volunteer here that I am sure I will maintain contact with. More about this friend of mine tomorrow.
