It's the middle of the night and I'm sleeping soundly. I lie in my sleeping bag on my sleeping mat. The sound of an elephant wakes me up. I smile when I realize where I am. In the wilderness of Imfelozi. I'm in a billion-star hotel. The Galaxy stretches above me in all its glory. What a beautiful view.
"Owieete, Owieete", a hyena is nearby. A little later: “Oewoemf, oewoemf”, the cry of a lion in the distance. Then I hear splashing noise. I'm sure it's the elephant by the river. I enjoy all these sounds with all my heart. Then someone gently taps my foot. It turns out to be JP. It's my turn to be the night watch. I put my pants on and walk to the fire, where I sit down. It is a small fire made of djabuti wood. This wood always burns, including in the rain, because it naturally contains an oily substance.
My 'nightwatch' runs smoothly. Every 10 minutes I walk along the perimeter of the camp. I estimate the time between rounds, since we left our watch. With a strong flashlight I stare into the bush. I pay special attention to whether I see the reflection of prying eyes.
Earlier that evening, Peter, our guide, told us that we will spend the whole next day mostly in silence, starting after the morning council.
After breakfast and council we quietly pack our things and make sure that there are absolutely no traces of our stay to be seen. During the walk over the dense bushveld we come to a clearing where three rhinos and a calf are drinking and bathing in a small ‘pool’. They are about 20 meters away from us. With a calm, gentle step, we walk around it very carefully. They apparently do not feel agitated by us. It's a fascinating experience. We observe them with full, alert, but silent, attention.
Later, Peter explains that nature's acceptance of our presence has apparently moved to a higher level. We have become one with nature. He deduces this from the fact that the many oxpeckers, sitting on the back of one of the Rhinos, did not fly away. These birds are the "elongated eyes and ears" of the rhinoceros. In return, they eat the food that the rhino drops, or they eat the ticks from its skin. Two days ago we saw them fly away and so they warned the rhinos of our presence. Now they sit quietly on their backs. We are no longer a disturbance of nature. We are deeply connected to nature and nature has accepted us.
The silence and inner peace has transformed us. We have become more aware of who we could be; we have become closer to the child within us. That is felt by our environment, and that resonates with the all-encompassing consciousness of nature. This feeling is now also well anchored in our true self, in our consciousness. In moments that matter, we will remember this special place, and the peaceful feeling. It will help us to do the right thing at that moment. Then, almost certainly, before making an important decision, we will think about all aspects. We will be quiet and listen with an open mind, heart and will. We will feel deeply connected to our core values and who we really are. At that point, we will move into action as a more authentic, natural leader.
Boy Van Droffelaar, PhD
