By Jude Huck-Reymond

April 13th, 2023

“If we kill off the wild, then we are killing off a part of our souls” -Jane Goodall

As you read this, the lush Amazon rainforests are being pillaged, raped, and burned for access to its land, lumber, and exotic wildlife. Many of the people doing this are unaware of the harm they are doing, but most are tantalized by the money they will make from their destructive efforts. However, there are also many people fighting tirelessly to preserve this natural beauty on Earth. Here I will try to capture the most significant and interesting points from Lex Fridman’s conversation with Paul Rosolie, a conservationist, survivalist, filmmaker, photographer, and storyteller. Paul has a beautiful perspective on the universe, with wildlife and nature at the pinnacle of his focus.

Rainforest Life

Imagine traveling 40 miles down a river surrounded by thick layers of flowers, brush, undergrowth, and towering trees in every direction. They drop you off. You have a camera, some food, a hammock, a multitool, a headlamp, and 1 match. You know that it’s so humid that you won’t even be able to start a fire, so the match is just to keep you comfortable. Yet the team dropping you off insists you take a small tank of diesel fuel in case you are desperate. Then you are on your own. You may never have human contact again unless you endure the journey to the pickup point in a few weeks. This is where you decide. Will you allow this place to be your heaven on Earth? Or will you let it take you into the depths of Hell?

Paul claims that living in the rainforest requires skills that many humans have never even considered. Your ability to survive depends on how well you prepare, and the perspective you take on your experience. The vast majority of the wildlife in the Amazon does not want to hurt, kill, or eat you or any other humans. So the experience you have depends a lot on your internal abilities and fears.

The Amazon rainforest is the most biologically diverse place on Earth. I can not describe what magic you would see. Paul recalls moments of pure magic and awe. Beaches are covered in rainbows of butterflies and when disturbed they vortex into the sky and fly into the trees. Monkeys flying above your head hollering all their joy. Flocks of birds unlike anything you have witnessed before. Half of the ecosystem lives up in the canopy, where animals and plants exist that humans have absolutely no contact with.

Wildlife Encounters

Some of Paul’s experiences stood out to me as utterly jaw-dropping and heart-wrenching. One night when he was exploring the undergrowth his team found a 25-foot anaconda sleeping on some branches. He wanted to document it and take a picture with it and so he snuck up and tried to grab capture the thing for a moment. But he couldn’t even get his arms around the body of the snake to hug it. It quickly wriggled loose and slithered off into the darkness of the night. All that Paul could do was lay his hand on its back as it slithered away.

Then, one night while he was sleeping in his hammock, he woke up to a small noise nearby. Soon enough he could distinguish that it was the sniffing nose of a large jaguar. He leaned forward to take a look with his headlamp and the jaguar started growling very deeply. Out of fear, he laid back down and kept stone cold still while it checked him out. It left shortly after and Paul was all alone once more. He claimed that this moment taught him the most about himself that he could ever imagine.

In Paul’s solo experience, he got a little too curious and explored the indigenous people’s territory. When he met eyes with them, he could see them conversing and they soon raised their bows. Paul knew what happens when people contact the tribes. He turned around and dashed as far as he could, running for three hours straight. Then he jumped in his inflatable raft and kept floating down the stream until it got so dark he was drifting straight into the brush. He set up his hammock in hopes of getting some sleep, but his dreams were filled with the voices of the natives. Sleeping was worse than being awake. He remembered that the tribes can communicate using the local monkeys’ calls, and he listened intently for any noises that sounded suspicious. When people contact the indigenous tribes, they are met with violence immediately and usually killed on sight. He recalls one instance when the people killed two outsiders and tore open their bodies to see what they’d eaten and to leave an example of them. They do not want to be infringed upon. They are the guardians of the Amazon rainforest.

The Rainforest Warzone

There is a war over the rights of the Amazon happening throughout many countries in South America. The tree line is the front line, and fire is the primary weapon. Most of the soldiers fighting the rainforest are simple farmers who are tantalized by the profit they could see by tearing out the life and planting their own. In their eyes, the rainforest simply doesn’t make any money, and so its not worth having. Over the past century, South America has been having its “Manifest Destiny” moment with a westward expansion into the rainforest. Parallel to the North American movement centuries ago. Some believe the land is simply their right to own because their governments have said it is. Others do it illegally, but there are not many forces that stop them.

Paul has dedicated his life to fighting to preserve this source of natural beauty. He has educated and persuaded farmers to join his side. He has documented his journey protecting this environment and he has helped create ranger stations and teams dedicated to fighting for the forest. Most of the time people just need to be made aware of the damage they are doing. Others need a more threatening means of persuasion.

Conclusions

I can’t describe how grateful I am to have heard about Paul’s experiences in the Amazon. He has convinced me of its pure beauty and made me aware of the danger of losing it. I strongly suggest you check out his work and listen to the Lex Fridman Podcast for many more interesting perspectives like Paul’s.