From the late sixteenth-century and throughout the 1600s, European colonialists irreparably altered the Mauritius Dodo bird’s serene existence. Succumbing to relentless hunting by both the settlers and the animals they brought with them, the once flourishing Dodo bird population dwindled away into extinction leaving only a vaguely derogatory remark as its legacy.
Having just returned from the ecological playground of Costa Rica, I find myself still trying to process the bio-diversity that surrounded me in some of the most colourful expressions imaginable, from the wildest animals and creepiest crawlers to the most vibrant flowers and tallest, simply the most majestic trees. Much of what I saw was close enough to touch. I could not help but to think of the Dodo bird, and its eventual demise. I felt a visceral sense of protectionism for the wonders I encountered, largely due to the massive development movement Costa Rica is currently experiencing. That got me thinking about the bigger-picture, to humanity itself and the push-pull struggle that we find ourselves in. We are responsible for the fragile state of the environment and the damage we have already inflicted, yet at the mercy of policies and initiatives in the name of ‘progress’.
We seem to think it is natural, our survival of the fittest right even, to take what we ‘need’ from whatever resources we can plunder, regardless of how precious they might be. With that said, I am putting forth the Dodo’s candidature as the global mascot for responsibility and accountability. As we move into a new age of spirituality and enlightenment, let’s agree to protect what we’ve got; let’s agree to safeguard the innumerable species of life we are lucky enough to co-exist with. If we cannot pull together to protect our Dodos, then we truly are living up to the unfavorable expression. {w}
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