This chapter's exercise is about doing some personal reflection. There are no right or wrong answers here, instead this is an opportunity for you to take some time and think about your ethical values and beliefs.
A letter to the past (10 mins.)
This exercise asks you to explore what it would take to change your mind about something important.
Imagine someone from the past who held views characteristic of that time. Also imagine, for the sake of the exercise, that this person is not too different from you - perhaps you would have been friends. Unfortunately, many people in the past were complicit in horrible things, such as slavery, sexism, racism, and homophobia, which were even more prevalent in the past than they are now. And, sadly, this historical counterpart is also complicit in some moral tragedy common to their time, perhaps not out of malevolence or ill-will, but merely through indifference or ignorance.
This exercise is to write a short letter to this historical friend arguing that they should care about a specific group that your present self values. Imagine that they are complicit in owning slaves, or in the oppression of women, people of other races, or sexual minorities.
For the sake of this exercise, imagine your historical counterpart is not malevolent or selfish, they think they are living a normal moral life, but are unaware of where they are going wrong. What could you say to them to make them realize that they’re doing wrong? What evidence are they overlooking that allows them to hold their discriminatory views? You might want to write a few paragraphs or just bullet points, and spend time reflecting on what you write.
A letter to a 15th century person
Dear friend from the past, this letter might surprise you. I'm also surprised to have this weird opportunity. Sadly I am writing to you with some bad news. You have been involved in some moral tragedy (although not directly) you had contributed implicitly to perpetuate the exclusion and extermination of an important lineage of people , they called themselves the protectors of creation, the carriers of thought and the imagination of all the things to come.
Although it is true that their practices and rituals might seem strange at first sight: they praise the sun instead of God and feel a deep connection with the land and not for mankind. Furthermore, they leave some parts of their body uncovered without any kind of guilt. But for some unknown reason ,they are the carriers of an important message, one that has been forgotten by our own culture a long time ago: we are part of the whole and we need to be respectful and grateful with all living things. You might be wondering about the meaning of these words? trust me I didn’t understand them fully either. But I think there is no other message that could resemble the solutions for one of the important problems that we are facing as humankind.
I don’t have much more time left , there aren't enough words to condense to you all the great inventions and ideas that have changed our story in many ways. But for now I want you to reconsider your importance and your special role in an unprecedented historical moment, which will expand the limits of what geographers consider as written. Please don't underestimate your value , and the value of your relatives , you still got the chance to make an impact with your own actions. You still got the chance to preserve wisdom and let future generations benefit.