Inhaling the fumes of nature whilst making my documentary in the Amazon was much preferred to inhaling the fumes of pollution. Life in the Amazon is a simple story of survival, finding yourself and being at one with the world whilst emerging your senses in nature’s blessings. No currency. No buildings. No politics. No problems. I experienced life like it was in the beginning of time with one of the most primitive tribes. Then I realised that the world was split into two and we were actually worlds and times apart. The natural jungles have been replaced by urban jungles and futurism is taking over mother earth.
My experience began as a volunteer teaching English to the children of the Amazon schools before travelling deeper into the jungle to live, learn and experience the way of the life with the Waorani tribe. They welcomed me as one of their own, showing the most beautiful things in the world and giving me the most breathtaking of moments. A step back from life in a primitive time capsule can transform one’s perspective on the world. I spent my time understanding the tribe, getting involved with their daily duties, listening to their stories and even helping on their hunts for food and making the hammocks they sleep in. Followed by a series of humbled visions whilst facing many physical and mental challenges along the way, I was deeply stirred by awareness upon my return to London.
Remembering my first step back into the city, I saw a civilised mayhem overcrowded by urban slaves. I had been unplugged from the matrix, aware of a man made illusion that we all call, ‘the world’. Where had all the trees gone? They were replaced by buildings; urban nature. Why does everyone look fake? Robots within masks fuelled by the media. Their souls were hidden deep in their unconscious and these city people were my biggest fear. The buildings were controlling humans. That suggests who or what sits on a golden pot of power. A serious panic attacked the conscience and I was forced to accept that this is reality as well as what I had been calling for years, ‘life’.
The thirst for power in this urban jungle can be blinding. Some have no idea whilst working in their offices 9 to 5, living a normal life oblivious to how they are being controlled. It is a difficult battle. Nature versus urbanism. Where do you stand in this big city? Inside of it? Outside of it? Hanging from a bridge, somewhere in between?
My mind wanders back to the time when I was with some members of the tribe who may be slowly losing their culture through western influences. It began by wearing clothes, introducing western tools and slowly all else followed. Futurism is literally taking over the jungles as we speak. The elders are fighting and struggling to keep their primitive culture alive, rather than letting it turn into a mythical illusion of what once was. The Waorani tribe are very special and so is everything they live and fight for. I want to help them save their rainforest so that they can live the peaceful life they are known for.
My return to the city was for a purpose, even though I struggled to convince myself to get back on that plane to a place for so long I have known as home. The cord that separated us from mother nature, released us into a mass metallic universe was cut a very long time ago. But this mass metallica can cleverly control minds. For that reason, I had to come back and finish making my documentary. It didn’t feel like home at first. The truth is, until the message injects you with a detoxified perspective on reality, you have no real idea. Caught in a matrix. More people need to be aware of what is going on in the world. I had to dive into the heart of nature and back to try and achieve this realisation. That is why I returned to this urban jungle. Even though most of nature has been stripped down for buildings, there is something about this urban world that allows us to effectively communicate powerful messages to each other. I am still here to experience what I have and to write the words you read at this very moment.
Sarah Begum is a documentary filmmaker with a passion for travel, adventure, stories and helping people along the way. Her first documentary – Amazon Souls – was made in the Amazon Rainforest.
Earth 2.0: Creating a Sustainable Future for the Planet
