“There are no rewards or punishments in nature: there are consequences.” – Robert Green Ingersoll
A new edition of Voices is waiting for you, which introduces us to the new month – September. It is a breakthrough time of the year, not only for people but also for nature. In September, there is an autumn equinox in the northern hemisphere and spring equinox in the southern hemisphere. It is undoubtedly a time of change.
We do autumn cleaning, not only material but also spiritual. This month is also a time of thoughts, changes, summaries, and plans for the future.
The ninth month is called September because of heathers – beautiful purple plants that can be found most often in late summer glades overgrown with vast moors. The theme of the month shows that poor planning can have tragic consequences but changing our behavior can make it better. The pandemic has shown us how important our relationship with nature is. Is the real tragedy of our life losing our planet’s wildness? Recent months and tragic events such as record heat, fires, and floods have shown that human error and poor planning can lead to a great catastrophe in the near future. The article refers to David Attenborough’s vision of the future, which is by no means colorful. The natural world is disappearing, and the evidence is everywhere. If we start acting now, we can still change that.
The new edition also has positive stories. Hardly anyone takes home a living souvenir from a trip. David talks about how he fell in love with a little dog at first sight. You will also read about our volunteers’ crazy weekend in Albania and their road accident. Fortunately, there was no wounded. The new edition also brings new insights from volunteers. What do you think Belgians in Macedonia might like? For dessert, something from the world of sports, i.e., an interview with a football player from one of the Macedonian clubs.
Collect the heathers, clean up, and don’t forget to think about the future consequences of our actions. I hope this edition of Voices will bring a lot of knowledge and motivation to act!
Kacper Król