Some thoughts before departure

A friend once asked me to imagine how it would feel to set foot on an earth that had never been touched by mankind. This evoked a vision of an enchanting natural paradise, where all beings function harmoniously with the land that grants them life. As I began to ponder this idea further, I started to feel angry. Angry at the human race for being so intelligent that we couldn't be satisfied with what was given to us. We had to move, process, and invent. Our creativity has hindered us as a species just as much as it has strengthened us. I don't want to sound bitter about humanity's progression, because I'm not. If we had not used the power our brains granted us, I feel humanity would've ceased to exist. I guess what I'm trying to pull from this is that every now and then it is crucial to bathe yourself in the animalistic simplicity that drove us to where we are. If I've noticed anything about people it's that we love to complicate things. In order to fully appreciate where we are, it is critical we appreciate where we began. As I prepare to depart to Senegal, I have been trying to soak myself in the simple pleasures of being alive. Take a moment to sit in the dirt, listen to the whisper of the leaves above your head, feel the breath of the breeze on your skin. Sense the earth's heart beating. You are not as complicated as you like to think. We are all simply life, and it is only once we relish in what we lack that we can experience bliss.