What is it about loss that hurts most? We lose not only who they are, what they are, their voice, their companionship, their reassurance... They are irreplaceable... and it hurts to lose them.
What about losing a pet? Having lost the companionship of our dog, Spongy, while in the Sultanate of Oman, I have known the impact of that loss. It's probably because their love is not unconditional, but comes from a place of their needing so little from us, yet to give so much of themselves.
What about when we simply lose something like, a watch, phone, piece of jewellery? It will be an inconvenience, as you've gotten used to having it around, used to its peculiarities... However, most of these things can be replaced, virtually like for like. Or when we are burgled, what hurts most? Our dignity, and we feel violated, then angry. The question we always ask... Why me? But unlike Humpty Dumpty, that loss, can be "put back together again."
It's different though, isn't it, when we think about loss as a community or society? The city of Christchurch, renowned as one of the most beautiful cities in the world, renowned for its sweet-scented colourful city gardens, the Avon River meandering through the city, with its ornate Cathedral adorning the most impressive city centre you could ever imagine. It was a city of joy, laughter and light. Yet, during 2011, an earthquake struck at the heart of its serenity, virtually levelling much of the city, including its centre, its heart. Today it's not the same... and never will be. The loss of life, and the destruction of property, have dealt Christchurch a cruel blow.
So, what if, God forbid, we suffered a meteor strike, a final nuclear conflict, a hostile alien attack, a biblical flood, an environmental disaster, a massive geographical upheaval, a fresh ice-age, a solar event, or a more aggressive pandemic?
Few would survive, and they would have little more than what they stand up in. It's a sobering thought to think the few would have nothing! We, as a society, a civilisation, would be devastated, and most of what we have achieved and invented would be lost!
Or would it? Sure... the ancient Incas, Egyptians, Chinese, Greeks and Romans all left us some of themselves, but we, us, and all we have achieved through trial and error, battle, discussion and debate, and what we have developed of nature, it would all be gone, wouldn't it? Well, the answer is emphatically... No, few know that colossal, purpose-built storage facilities have been constructed around the planet, with the objective of holding resources that would be essential to our survival, as a race, and the retention of our culture, traditions, animal and plant life.
The Svalbard Global Seed Vault, in Norway, is a huge cold storage unit that holds 1.5 billion seeds, collected from all nations of the world, stored ‘just in case', they should be needed, a protection against natural or man-made catastrophe. Another similar facility exists in the India’s territories in the Himalayas, at a place called Chang La, 5,000 metres above sea level, which also stores seeds and plants, but in a manipulated state of suspension.
The United States National Centre for Genetic Resources Preservation on the Colorado State University campus is where over 600,000 different seeds are kept, while the San Diego Zoo also has a prized ‘Jurassic Park’ collection of over 8,000 samples of stem cell material, most of our most unique species like Rhinos, Pandas, Leopards, orangutans, turtles and elephants, all endangered, facing extinction. Meanwhile, the Millennium Seedbank Partnership is home to 15 per cent of the world’s wild grown species, as they may be more resilient and resistant to pollution, than contemporary cultivars.
The Arctic island of Spitzbergen accommodates 8,300 Vatican-owned artistic masterpieces, manuscripts, music, sporting and scientific memorabilia rest, and there is an Oreo Vault storing samples of our cookies, chocolates and sweets... Scientists are even investigating the possibilities of establishing an ‘Ark on the Moon.’ So, even in future-proofing, there is clarity perhaps, that the ‘Doomsday Book,’ has not yet been written.
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