Opinion

Kids show ancient wisdom saves lives

Every now and again, a miracle happens – something you know should not really have been possible, at least not when existing, modern logic is brought to bear.

The rescue of four children – aged from just one year old to 13 – after they spent 40 days alone in the Colombian jungle following an air crash they survived, is just such a miracle. Tragically, their mother survived the impact only to die, as her children watched, four days later.

ALSO READ: Children’s heartbreaking first words after 40-day Amazon jungle ordeal [VIDEO]

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One can only imagine the trauma of the kids – but we must also marvel at how they managed to keep themselves alive, by eating yucca flour that was aboard the doomed plane and scavenging from relief parcels dropped by search helicopters.

The children – identified as members of the indigenous people of Colombia – also ate fruit, seeds, roots and plants they identified from their upbringing and education in the Amazon jungle region.

That particular fact should give us pause for thought, as humans are increasingly removed from our roots in nature. It is also a reminder that there is a huge pool of indigenous knowledge lying largely untapped in many countries of the world.

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ALSO READ: In Peru’s Amazon, evangelical cult awaits Inca second coming

This is the sort of ancient wisdom which could, and does, save lives.

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By Editorial staff
Read more on these topics: AmazonAmazon Jungle