Series: Waterworld
Title: The Ojah Delta
You see that little black speck left of frame? Well it’s not leaf clutter. He is a Sasian. One of the many tribes of Waterworld. He’s been separated from his clan and now probes the reaches of the Ojah delta, hoping to pick up their spoor. Footprints that will lead him back home. He stands on the edge of a raised sandbank, contemplating the speed and intensity of the currents that ripple down this tributary of the Ojah river. All around him is the vastness of the Ojah delta. A forlorn and denuded place. Not a speck of green. Not an inch of tree cover or vegetation to protect him from the harshness of light and temperature. Not a single living species to nourish him. There is no food at all. No shelter. Just an endless expanse of rock, sand and water. He feels vulnerable.
vulnerable |ˈvəln(ə)rəb(ə)l| adjective
susceptible to physical or emotional attack or harm: we were in a vulnerable position | small fish are vulnerable to predators.
Interesting the dictionary description of vulnerable. ‘susceptible to physical or emotional attachment or harm’.
Feeling vulnerable is a state of mind surely. Whether lost in the desert or in this case the Ojah delta, we feel a rising sense of panic. Panic is a mind set. Our mind wants to encourage us to run. Run towards an imaginary escape hatch. But we also know that to run in this environment would quickly deplete our energies and kill us. This Sasian has to mentally fight off the ‘fight and flight’ impulse.
(The fight-or-flight response, also known as the acute stress response, refers to a physiological reaction that occurs in the presence of something that is terrifying, either mentally or physically. The response is triggered by the release of hormones that prepare the body to either stay and deal with a threat or to run away to safety The term ‘fight-or-flight’ represents the choices that our ancient ancestors had when faced with danger in their environment. They could either fight or flee. In either case, the physiological and psychological response to stress prepares the body to react to the danger).
Our Sasian has to fight off the mental urge to panic over the thought that he is inextricably heading towards his own extinction. It is just a matter of time. The environment he finds himself in will ultimately destroy him. Mind control is the only way to prolong his life. He may survive if he slows down his mental picture. Suppresses the urge to panic.
In the case of humanity today, slowing down the rate of bio-diversity loss, and reducing the amount of carbon we pump into the atmosphere, therefore reducing the rate of severe climate change with corresponding catastrophic consequences, might speed up our chance of survival and slow down our rate of extinction.
For this Sasian trapped in the watery morass that is Waterworld, wise choices he makes now, will have far reaching effects on his future survival.
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