A leap of faith ­ Kaitieke  

You are going where? Some would ask; intrigued by remoteness of the location and the prospect

of limited resources.

‘Send me the co-ordinates on Google Earth,’ the earth spotters would request-eager to pinpoint

your exact destination with a yellow digital map pin. Note to self; don’t forget to save this in my

favorite places-I don’t want the embarrassment of asking again and appearing as if “computer

illiterate.” Such a designation would surely render you out of the “savvy” in-crowd.

The rapid transition from city to country folk, without the obligatory stop in a town to test the

waters of the country, left some gasping for air; but not fresh air! No, the carbon polluted, false

aroma of the city, diluted by the crowded streets of suburbia and imbued with the smells of

numerous races, their customs and cooking.

‘What could be in this for me?’ each reflected as they internally debated if they too could ever

attempt such an undertaking, a paradigm shift in their own thought processes.

‘None of what?? Hard to imagine for some and even harder it would be to assimilate; especially

as a “leap of faith!”.

‘And you don’t even have any jobs?’ The answer to this was met with stunned disbelief, loosely

concealed behind a shroud of assertive religious understanding. But for some, it was just too

much to handle. For them, it was back to their armchairs and the illusions of reality TV-fearing

to doubt the system and to live reliant on their own faith. Or faith in the government they had

voted into power, which had their best interests at heart. The same people who are driven from

“A” to “B” by chauffeurs in sound proof and tinted-windowed limousines. So they won’t have to

breathe in that same stale fortified air as the rest of their faithfully blinded servants.

If only they knew. If only they could pry themselves away from the glowing dis-reality of their

huge LCD TV sets; the programming, cleverly masterminded to ‘numb the senses’ so the pick

pocketing can carry on undetected and unchallenged. Stop, listen! If you slow down the

inexorable bombardment of thoughts and subsequent emotions, you will begin to hear a different

song.

The songs of nature mixed in a blend of the elements; the hiss of white noise from the flowing

creek, providing a backdrop for the call of the Tui and the deep stirring of the wood pigeons

wings as it gracefully passes overhead. The buzz of the bees, as they pollinate the new spring

blossoms on the fruit trees.

But the greatest spectacle of all, the heavens on a clear night. Un-spoilt by the glow of the city

lights, all is much clearer. Stars and the planets seen with their distinct characteristic glows. Mars

angrily fire red and iridescently bright and Venus, reminding us to love one another, to name just

two.

But most importantly-the clarity of the constellations; unimpeded in their luminance and more

importantly-their guiding influence in bringing us here.