Watching 'Blue Planet' & Michael Palins 'Sahara' has completely changed my thoughts on many things, the fact there are more living things in the sea than on land is staggering and the apparent intelligence of many sea creatures is extraordinary, some are ugly ,some are beautiful and all play a part in our eco system and we must protect our precious earth. Saying this, nature is often cruel and ruthless, it is the survival of the cunning and strongest, not unlike humankind. And then my thoughts turn to the 'Sahara' people living in a primitive and harsh terrain and yet the people are always smiling and are satisfied by their lot, and the natural beauty of the woman is tantalizing, they have a God given grace about them, and yet the cruelty of the barbaric act of female circumcision continues unabated and they accept it as being normal. And so who are we to interfere with a way life they have lived for thousands of years but is abhorrent to us in the west?
We are not always right in our aim to bring countries kicking and screaming into the 21st century, in fact in many cases there have been terrible mistakes. We can but hope there can be a gentle transition from poverty and hardship into the modern world, bearing in mind that the modern world is not a haven of peace and plenty. It is not a Shangri-La.