Magnificent monuments, pyramids, architecture, crafted forests, agricultural and medicinal technologies, possibly 100 million people scattered across some 40 million square kilometers of land are all placed in the shadow of this one man. This is too unrealistic to be scientific.

I like to go to the woods not long after sunrise, when the air is still cool and carries the scent of the night, like faded cologne on a lover's neck. It mingles with the wood spice scent of the dry forest floor, and you catch just a hint of it in the gentle breeze or as your feet kick up dust as you make your way along familiar paths.

It’s astounding how little the average citizen knows about nature and their local ecosystems. It has become easier for us to imagine a mosquito that is genetically engineered to be sterile, than to learn about which animals in our area are their natural predators.

When we see ourselves as part of the landscape, only then, I believe we’ll put in the real work to stop the destruction of it.

But how likely is that do you reckon?