Through the Clouds

Sitting out on the balcony of a café, my friends and I are in a cloud. Whisps of white obscure our faces… “Aladdin” gave us false impressions of the moldabily of clouds. We can’t exactly put a dollop on our lattes. But the effect is magical nonetheless.

As we “study” for our upcoming exams (which I took this morning), we discuss the cloudiness of what the future holds for us. What will we do with our educations? What can we do? Where will our knowledge and skills be best applied? What is our responsibility as educated people, what is our obligation to the world? It is a crucial time in Earth’s history, and the decisions we make and actions we take can dramatically alter our world. Where should our energies be focused? To the discovery of new species, or description of interactions between rainforest creatures? To education? To conservation? How can we do it all? And how can we do it all in time?

All these concerns, but we are still holding on to living care-free. For now, at least, we are content to know that we are educated and motivated. Life, and our experiences, will steer us somewhere where the tools we are picking up along the way will be used well—because we have integrity and drive. That’s why we are here. So, with or without a set path, we are happy to keep on going. In fact, from our jungle experiences, we know that what we find off the beaten path is often exciting and beautiful, and even more our “own” because we dared to discover it.