Preparing for a Prolonged Dry Season and Extended Rains

“Don’t Know What You Got Till It’s Gone” by Cinderella is surely familiar to those who were teenagers in the ’80s and ’90s and whose hair is now beginning to turn gray. British rock critics at the time described this rock ballad as not really a rock song at all, but rather the slogan of a well-known soft drink brand.

Other British critics poked fun at its vocalist and songwriter, Tom Keifer, suggesting that he sang in a husky voice because he was exhausted and needed a rest.

I predict that this song will become a favorite again in the near future, accompanying our realization of the many things that have disappeared, or are about to disappear, from our lives. Things that were once present, ordinary, and unremarkable, until they are suddenly gone from our everyday lives. Water and sunlight, for example.

Some time ago, the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) announced that the El Niño phenomenon, characterized by hot and dry conditions accompanied by strong winds, would continue across much of Southeast Asia until early 2027. During the same period, the Americas are experiencing high rainfall with the potential for flash flooding.

Rain, or heat, which we normally blame for showing up uninvited while we are going about our activities, can suddenly disappear for a long period, depending on where you live. Science has succeeded in uncovering the various factors behind these conditions, but it has yet to formulate a sure-fire way to put an end to such anomalies. 

Illustration: Kapok tree amidst smog in Singosari, Malang.

Training Ourselves to Stay Alert

When a trader suffers a loss, they will do whatever they can to close the gaps in their books. Weather, however, is not as tangible as money or other physical things. Humanity’s ability to manipulate weather through its activities accounts for only 10%. The remaining 90% depends on the dynamics of nature.

The Siberian Native Faith believers have understood this for a long time. They live amid nature in a moody state, sometimes friendly and sometimes not. Yet they do not abandon the bone-chilling Siberian wilderness, because their ancestors taught them how to survive.

The offerings they prepare according to the customs of their respective belief systems are not intended as “bribes” to persuade some unseen supernatural force to help them. Nor are they meant to coax the sun into suddenly appearing and providing warmth.

To prepare an offering, the person making it sacrifices time, energy, and material resources that could otherwise be used for something else. Not to mention the pile of waste left behind once the offering has dried out or decomposed.

Isn’t it irrational to offer a cup of coffee or vodka to someone who cannot even be seen physically?

For Siberian Native Faith communities, the practice of making an offering when entering the forest to hunt, or before fishing in the waters, is an expression of humility made tangible.

Those who venture into the wilderness with humility have a better chance of returning home safely. Why? A humble person’s state of mind tends to remain steady and calm, so panic or hysteria is less likely to arise when they encounter the unexpected.

Acceptance

“What if we run out of drinking water?” “Where will we run if a flood comes?” and many similar questions may arise in our minds following the WMO’s official announcement above. I consider this perfectly natural, because no one is comfortable living with uncertainty.

This is where psychological maturity can become a source of protection for you and your family. It is a kind of “acceptance” of the conclusion that not everything in the real world will go according to our wishes. (dswas)