The Journey Into Nature Episode 7

Episode 07.

The journey into Nature

...I’m not saying it’s not amazing.

I mean, of course the jungle is something incredible, sublime, majestic.

Huge trees, exotic plants and flowers, animals all around.

What I’m saying is that it’s impossible to stay in the jungle for a long time. Everything about it is hostile to humans.

life is everywhere.

The heat, the humidity, the insects, the poisonous plants and dangerous animals are everywhere…

Everything tells you “you are not welcome here”.

I’m sorry you still feel that way.

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I thought you had made peace with the jungle in your lesson in Costa Rica.

Peace?? I almost got eaten by a giant spider!!

But you know, this is not just a jungle. This is the largest and possibly the most important rainforest on the planet: the Amazon rainforest.

You should be honored to be here.

Tricks of the trade…

Oh okay, yes. It’s an honor to be bitten

by GIANT MOSQUITOS IN THE AMAZON RAINFOREST.

the Amazon rainforest is around 2.72 million square miles. It’s responsible for producing more than 20% of the world's oxygen, WHICH IS WHY IT IS OFTEN RefERRED TO AS THE "LUNGS OF THE EARTH.

And don’t worry.

Only a few of them could kill you.

The Amazon is one of the world's richest and most-varied ecosystems, HOME TO OVER 11,000 TREE SPECIES, 40,000 plant species, 3,000 fish species, 1,300 bird species, 430 mammals and an amazing 2.5 million different insect species!

Oh, that’s reassuring…

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So this time it’s definitely plant ninja, isn’t it?

What am I supposed to do?

Are you going away?

It’s a possibility.

The rainforest is really unpredictable.

Indeed. I have to visit an old friend of mine.

Or wait for him to find you…

You already know… find your teacher.

okaaay…

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I just hope I don’t end up reduced to insect size again.

Hello, young nature ninja. I was waiting for you.

He…hello..?

Who’s there?

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This is going to be a key lesson in your training.

Look all around you. What do you see?

Hey! What are you doing?!!

plants! plant ninja?

Is that you?

Me? I’m not doing anything!

What do you mean what am I doing? This is my lesson!!

Your lesson???

Really? You have to be joking!!

This is my territory! Do you not know?

There are no territories! The jungle has no lines.

Where are you??

What’s going on here…?

It’s nice of you to stop by to say hi, plant ninja...

Now if you excuse us…

Hello, Nature Ninja!

Tree ninja!

plant ninja!

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because I am supposed to give you a lesson, but as usual, PLANT NINJA KEEPS TRYING TO INVADE MY TERRITORY, JUST LIKE HE DOES IN NATURE!

I don’t understand! Why are you both here?

“Your territory”? We have never agreed on any land division.

We are legendary ninjas, not landlords! AND WE BOTH PROTECT AND SERVE THE PLANTS AND TREES FROM THE AMAZON TO THE HIMALAYAS. IT'S ALWAYS THE SAME STORY, I START TO GROW TREES AND YOU START INVADING MY SPACE! OF ALL THE RAINFORESTS IN THE WORLD, CAN'T YOU WORK SOMEWHERE ELSE WHILE I AM HERE?

IT IS WHAT WE DO, THERE IS ONLY SO MUCH SUNLIGHT, WATER AND SPACE. TREES ARE ALWAYS TAKING ALL THE SUNLIGHT!

Okay, Let’s not fight! For me it’s an honor to have you I’m sure I can both here! learn a lot from both of you.

hia!

Okay, I guess we can try to have a joint lesson, right?

The lesson is going to be about camouflage!

sure!

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No, no, no! The lesson is ABOUT PATIENCE AND GROWING STRONG ROOTS.

Camouflage??

No true skill is ever acquired without patience.

Patience?

Why don’t we let him decide…?

So if you’re such a patience fan, you should wait for me to have my camouflage lesson.

Being patient doesn’t mean BEING WEAK.

What do you prefer learning, young nature ninja?

Camouflage, a skill that will give you a huge fighting advantage and WILL GIVE YOU A STRONG ADVANTAGE OVER YOUR ENVIRONMENT...

eeehhh... i... i...

or… “patience”… and something about roots...?

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I'M TIRED OF YOU ALWAYS TESTING YOUR BOUNDRIES PLANT NINJA!

I see what this is…

You have always been jealous of me!!

awesome skills!!

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hia!

Let’s see how you fight when you cant see your opponent.

Let me tell you I’m not falling in your trap. I can wait you right here.

Oh, yes, your magic camouflage.

Do as little as one move, and you’ll see how my arrow finds you.

Emmm… Tree ninja… What about me?

Ah yes, you. Sorry about this. You can go observe the jungle a bit longer.

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Observe the jungle.. observe the jungle.. he just wanted me out of there for a while…

AM I A BURDEN?

I’m tired of thEsE abstract assigments.. I want clear goals, concrete activities!

I mean… I don’t even know what I can observe…

People imagine jungles as places full of exotic wildlife…

But BUT THE REALITY IS THAT ALL YOU CAN EVER SEE IS PLANTS. PLANTS EVERYWHERE.

Very funny plants, sometimes.

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I GUESS THAT MOST ANIMAL ACTIVITY OCCURS AT THE TOP OF THE TREES.

I have to admit, when nothing is trying to eat you, this is actually quite a beautiful place.

WHAT’S THAT?!

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a jaguar??

Oh my god!! There are SO many of them!!

oh...!

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What a terrible sight...

AGHHH

OH no! I’m trapped!

wait!! stop!!

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Aghh, I cannot walk.

Thanks for the ride, my friend!!

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Ahh… now it definitely feels peaceful and safe

I don’t know what I’m going to do now. I can’t walk!

I cannot continue my lesson.

Sensei!!

Leaf ninja!!

Tree ninja!!

Well, I trust they will find me eventually.

I’m just going to lay here for a little while…

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Mooooom!

There’s a very funny looking animal laying here!!

This is not an animal…

WHAT IS IT THEN?

I don’t know!

It looks like a shadow that has come alive!

Perhaps a jungle spirit.

Oh Look! He is hurt!

It speaks!!

h-Hi!

Lets take him TO the shaman!

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Don’t worry! Our shaman will cure you! He is the greatest and wisest shaman IN THE JUNGLE.

So what are you? Are you human?

Yes, of course.

I’m a Nature Ninja.

Oh, a nature ninja!

Like Tree and leaf ninja!

They are good ninjas. They help the jungle a lot.

EXCEPT WHEN THEY ARE TOGETHER, THEN THEY ARE ALWAYS COMPETING AND ARGUING WITH EACH OTHER.

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Well, sort of.

They’re legendary ninjas. I’m still an apprentice.

This is our village!

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Oh, hello!!

Welcome!!

Look Yokoi! We found an injured nature ninja in the forest.

My name is Yokoi, I’m the chief of this village.

Nice to meet you.

What are you doing in our territory?

Oh I see! Well, we do know a lot about amazon plants and trees. Come with me!

I’m having a lesson.

I was in the rainforest to learn about plants… or trees, I’m not really sure.

We use over 500 species of plants for our everyday life. We use them for everything.

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Food

shelter

tools and weapons

fuel

clothes and art

medicine, perfume

paint

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We know over sixty edible wild plants.

Fruits seeds, berries! Here, have some!

Some of them are actually poisonous. But after a long process of cooking, we can make them edible.

We also grow vegetables in our gardens.

And after some years, when the soil gets depleted, we move to a different part of the forest, and allow some time for it to recover.

For it to heal.

WE TOTALLY DEPEND ON THE FOREST. We know if the forest is destroyed, WE WILL BE DESTROYED WITH IT.

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Ah, here is the shaman. sort of... our notion of health is a little different from yours.

is he like a doctor?

You know, for us, when you get sick or injured, it’s not just “bad luck”.

It’s the jungle trying to teach you something.

hello shaman! this is a nature ninja. he got injured in the forest.

Hello nature ninja!

he-Hello.

I…I injured my leg. A bulldozer chopped down some trees, and my leg got stuck in the mess.

let’s see... What happened to you?

come with me!

umm, I see.

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In fact, most of your “modern medicine”, essentially comes from this plants.

You know, plants from the jungle have lots of healing properties.

here! drink this!

Now you can find out what the plants are trying to teach you.

oh!

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wow! this is really magical.

This is my spot!

No, it’s my spot!

I germinated here first!!

Ok! You can stay here. I’ll outgrow you and take all your sunlight, you’ll see!

Haha! I can just cover both of you with my giant leafs.

oh no!!

ha! you’d wish!

Come kids, you can hold to my trunk to grow.

Hey! Don’t be such a bully!

Yeahhh!!

Ill beat you!!

No! ill beat you!!

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This is crazy.

Even in this beautiful environment, where everything seems abundant, growing is really hard.

Plants can be very competitive with each other.

Oh!! He-Hello!

There’s a fierce competition for sunlight, water amd nutrients.

hey! give me that ray of light! it’s mine!

But together with the competition, there’s also mutual assistance, as ALL PLANTS GROW IN HARMONY WITH THE TREES, ANIMALS, INSECTS AND FUNGI.

i’ll beat you!

no! i’ll beat you!

Seems like they’re fighting, but they’re actually working together, helping each other.

Amazing.

Who… who are you…?

Me?

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I’m a jungle spirit.

Hey!!! What are you doing?!

You cannot see us, but the jungle is full of us all around.

This is my territory!!

You’ve got to be joking! This has always been my territory!

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So, did you talk with the jungle spirits?

Was-was it all just a dream?

Oh not really. It was your spirit walking around the jungle.

Yes! She was very nice.

It looks like your leg has healed!

Wow that’s true!!

It’s fantastic!

Thanks a lot, Shaman!!

Goodbye Yokoi! Goodbye everyone!! Thanks for everything!!

Bye Nature ninja!!

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I warn you, I can wait here all day…

Yes! In fact, I learned a lot. Come on, put that bow down…

I don’t believe it! You are still like this??

Oh hello, Nature ninja.

Could you…ehh.. observe nature?

Okay, leaf ninja! You can come out! I’m putting my bow down, but only because Nature ninja asked.

THANKS! MY ARMS WERE GETTING REALLY TIRED.

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So you say you’ve learned a lot from my lesson?

Your lesson??! you were hiding in the trees!!

okay, okay. Don’t start all over.

Listen I have an idea. What if instead of fighting over whose lesson it’s going to be, we do a neutral assignment in which you can both display your skills?

Sounds good, but how are we going to come up with a neutral assignment?

Then it wouldn’t be neutral, would it?

I can come up with one.

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Actually, I have something in mind.

Um! I don’t know what’s happening, i’m stuck.

what’s that...?

this is very strange...

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what’s going on here? who are you?

we are the jungle responding.

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That was awesome.

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I actually feel quite good!

Yeahh… it’s been quite some time since I enjoyed something like this.

I’m glad to hear that!

Hello, Young Nature ninja.

Water ninja!

She remembers me!

What are you doing here?

There is a balance and order in the natural world, why are you two always competing and forcing your will when there is a natural order and progression.

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See when the rain falls...

Come with me…

and the sun rises...

There is all this beauty.

Just look at these monumental trees rising high above the earth, and all of the plants bringing life to the forest floor...

There is only a fragmented planet when you resist what is right in front of you!

You must all learn to let go. Let go of competition and serve.

you really do amazing things plant ninja... From the flowers to the magical habitats you create, I am actually so inspired by you!

i guess this lesson was for both the masters and the student....

you tree ninja always test me, but you have created canopy's and environments where I have flourished, I guess I never realized how grateful I am for how my life force is tied to yours...

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We are all connected.

The pollen floats and the leaves flutter. clouds move and dust settles

Wind ninja!!

All of you inspire me.

nature ninja!

earth ninja!

What are you doing here?

Oh, well, we all need to be present.

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fire ninja!!

butterfly ninja!!

Winter ninja!!

light ninja!!

snow ninja!!

animal ninja!!

insect ninja!!

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What do you all have to be present for?

Isn't it a miracle we are all here in this moment together sharing this planet...?

Awake... You have seen the competition that exists between all. But you have seen the delicate balance and contribution each have...

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From the top of the Himalayas to the Amazon forest..

Nature is in perfect balance, working together from the billions of lifeforms in the soil to the clouds filled with water laying down floating clouds of rain to bring rise to entire forests to rise and to nourish the plants to heal the earth and inspire the pollinators.

This is your moment, young Nature Ninja

The soil is supporting and holding the life in the soil.. The soil is raising forests "trees", raising plants for pollinators.

Why do you fight...? It is time to submit.

Let go, Fear is the root of all destruction....

Come home..

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Congratulations Nature Ninja.

You have completed the first part of your training.

Now what?

awesome!

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