Wednesday, February 10, 2010

Now That's Love.

I just read an article that has single-handedly renewed my hope in mankind for the time being.

It is the story of a man who lives in Australia, and is the last member of his aboriginal tribe. He is in his late thirties and as yet has no children. The tribal lands are now his alone, and he can do what he pleases with them. He grew up surrounded by the history of his peoples, found in burial sites and other sacred places that he explored with his grandparents. His tribal homelands mean a lot to him, and he knows they are instrumental to preserving his culture. But they also happen to sit atop one of the largest uranium deposits on the continent, and he has been offered, at times, around 5 billion dollars for the land. But according to him, it is not for sale. He plans to incorporate the lands into a nearby national park where they will be protected for generations to come. The history he wants to share with his children means more to him than any amount of money a strip-mining company could offer him. Read the full article here.

My God.

I would like to say thank-you to this man, wherever he is, for being a good person and loving pretty much everyone else on earth, and the earth itself, more than he loves himself. I cannot imagine what it must feel like to turn down so much money, I doubt I would be a strong enough person to stick to my guns and love a place so deeply. I hope I would. I want to love like this man does, a love that will outlast time, a love that is bigger than any one person.

Someday, I will love like that.

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