In order to stop complaining about life, you should visit Africa for once!
Leonardo DiCaprio
Before I wrote this letter, I was gathering my thoughts for a while: what do I tell you, my favorite readers, about Africa? After all, I have never been there myself, although all my loved ones and friends know how much and long I've been dreaming about it (and I very much hope in the near future to finally fulfill my dream).
However, since childhood I, as well as you, probably, remember the verses of Chukovsky: "Little children! For nothing in the world don't go to Africa, to Africa for a walk! In Africa, there are sharks, In Africa, there are gorillas, In Africa, there are large evil crocodiles..." But now that we've grown up, we won't be scared of sharks, gorillas, even Barmaley himself! We realize that Africa is not so terrible. It is sometimes quite childish, naive, spontaneous and therefore unpredictable, but at the same time charming and beautiful. Don't we all like bright pictures from African life in magazines and tourist leaflets! But we shouldn't lose sight that all this beauty has its downside.
Yes, nature there is not yet completely destroyed by us, people, and wild animals can live as they should – on freedom, in their usual habitat – and it is beautiful, we need to always remember that we have the same rights to nature as them!
Yet we are very lucky to be born where we were born – in our Azerbaijan. But we live by taking the benefits around us for granted. In the morning – an energizing shower, a healthy breakfast, we get in the car and roll on our errands, and in the evening in some cozy cafe we discuss with friends important news, small gossip and household problems... And somewhere in Africa, millions of people have completely differently troubles: get some drinking water and some food for themselves and their children! It's hard for us to even imagine how many African children starve and are desperate for a sip of clean water.
Maybe Africans know less than us about the modern world and the latest technical innovations, but the essence and meaning of life they certainly understand much deeper. They are neither subject to the rigid stereotypes of the "civilized world" nor to volatile fashion trends like us – their consciousness is free, and instincts are brighter. The natural flair in them is still developed, in our way – intuition, connection with the Supreme Beginning, and they have preserved the pristine, children's internal purity. Their energy is strong as the fiercely flaming sun they grew up under. Therefore, we can find ourselves, our inner light next to them, and understand that most of our problems are not problems at all, but reasons for joy in us much more than we believe...
So who smiles more often and merrier: us, used to wide opportunities, or them, in our opinion, simply endowed by fate? And who lives a more complete and rich life: we – who, barely awake, check Instagram and learn what is happening to neighbors – or these children of Africa, merged with hot nature, who every morning meet divine dawn? — N
Ulviyya Mahmudova
Editor-in-chief
