Adventure #231

How quickly things can change
I decided to go to the Central Plateau for a few days biking, hiking
and fishing, but first dropped my son off at the airport and headed
south. The following morning, I woke and felt a bit hungover, but
had only a few beers with the neighbours. This wore on and I was
lethargic, and had a bit of a headache, evidently called a mailize.
As evening drew on my temperature soared, accompanied by
shaking, a sore throat and vomiting. This happy experience lasted
for about two days, then slowly passed. My weekend trip was now
extended to ten days of isolation.
How quickly things can change!
As my covid symptoms subsided, at the other end of the island,
what I considered had died with rugby politics and apartheid,
exploded outside of parliament. My views on the vaccine and
mandates had nothing to do with how disappointed I was to see
the escalation of violence and destruction. I am all for democratic
protest, I support people’s right to choose but regardless of where
you stand on mandates or politics, it was heart-wrenching to see
kiwi police in riot gear and kiwi protesters setting fire to tents,
throwing rocks and bottles at the police. This is not who we are.
How quickly things can change!
As the Wellington protest drew to its disappointing conclusion,
on the other side of the world, Vladimir Putin and the Russian
government decided to invade Ukraine. Once again regardless of
your politics nobody wants to see this type of world aggression.
To make it worse was Putin’s statement, which was an unmasked
subtle nuclear threat, when announcing the military operation in
Ukraine, he said: "Whoever tries to hinder us ... should know that
Russia's response will be immediate. And it will lead you to such
consequences that you have never encountered in your history."
This was followed by US President Joe Biden’s aggressive
response: He stated the US had “an unwavering resolve that
freedom will always triumph over tyranny". In an hour-long
address to lawmakers in the US he said: "Putin's war was
premeditated and unprovoked. He rejected repeated efforts at
diplomacy. He thought the West and NATO wouldn't respond. And
he thought he could divide us here at home." He - added: "Putin
was wrong. We were ready!”
Russian nuclear forces are now on high alert, a world that has
been nuclear-free for what seems like forty years suddenly is now
threatened with mass destruction on a scale as Putin says, ‘has
never been seen before’.
How quickly things can change!
Now that all may seem dire, and in keeping with the survival
issue, but my point here is ‘’things change quickly’’; your health,
your country and even the world. So, it is paramount for us to be
in the present. Do not put things off till tomorrow, or till retirement,
or till you have more money, or till you have more time or you
are fitter. Get out and enjoy, experience, embrace every moment
available to you. Our only non-renewable asset is time, and the
time for us all to live and experience all that life can offer is now.
Adventure magazine is full to the brim with activities, adventures,
and experiences; it is our hope that you will be motivated to get
out and do as much as you can, live for the now!
On a final, more positive note: as covid still impacts us all, as the
protestors look for other platforms and as Russia makes the world
unstable. It won’t be forever. Things change quickly!
Steve Dickinson - Editor
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