‘Seven Worlds, One Planet’ Recap: ‘Asia’

Written by John Edward Betancourt

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​Something that human beings love to do on a consistent basis, is celebrate their surroundings. Which is quite the wonderful thing. Because taking pride in where we live and everything it has to offer, keeps its wonder alive. But there is a slight downside when it comes to ‘hometown pride’. In that, we tend to not realize there are parts of the world that outright resemble our own little corner of it. Simply because we have forgotten that this lush and green world once hosted a giant continent, and we are unaware of the fact that there are echoes of its unified past across the globe, and this is relevant to today’s discussion, because last night’s episode of Seven Worlds, One Planet had an oddly familiar feel to it.
 
Which it shouldn’t have, because we were on the other side of the world in this tale, exploring the wonder of Asia. Yet, it quickly became apparent how this part of the planet has a familiar feel to North America, since it features an equally diverse biosphere, the kind that also offers just about every type of environment imaginable. And in similar fashion to our tour of North America, the show took the time to kick off its exploration of this ‘sister’ continent, by looking to the frozen tundra of the north. For here is where Pacific Walruses and Polar Bears thrive, and they are constantly looking for safety and food in their now vastly changing environment. Plus, there are bears in the depths of the snow who risk life and limb to feed, by coming close to hot springs that are powered by volcanoes.
 
If anything, it was just fascinating to see how life in the colder parts of Asia is thriving, and it was incredible to learn that there are other extreme parts of this continent where life is finding a way. Take for example the Himalayas, where the snub-nosed snow monkey is doing just fine, thanks to the fact that they travel with family for warmth and protection. Or in the deserts of Iran, there are snakes that have learned to use the illusion of insects to feed and of course, life in the jungles is also teeming with incredible creatures, and a genuine highlight here came by way of the orangutan. For we were able to watch a mother raise her child in this segment of the story and it was just beautiful to see how she cares for her little one, and see her teach him the finer points of climbing a tree for a delicious reward, and it really was satisfying to bask in some lovely and powerful moments as we traveled across this lovely continent.
 
But this series will continue to emphasize the fact that while the world is still a lovely place, it is in a perilous position right now, due to climate change and our push to find homes and new land for the ever growing human population, and that message was reinforced here in sobering fashion. For the lovely introduction of the Sumatran Rhino, a tiny and cute little creature, ended in shock when we came to learn that there are only handfuls of these precious creatures left, and their numbers have dwindled as their environment changes and surrenders to mankind. Plus, the story opened up with its powerful message on climate change, since we quickly came to learn that walruses and polar bears are existing so close to one another because the ice they normally live upon is melting, and they are starting to see losses as they continue to put themselves in close and dangerous quarters.
 
Yet while it seems as though the message was only going to get darker from here, the series did something quite amazing. It offered up a shred of hope, by showing us proof that we can indeed co-exist with nature in peaceful and magnificent passion. For the vignette involving Indonesian fisherman, wherein they fed whale sharks as part of the plan to create balance in that part of the world, was comforting and inspiring. And it was just wonderful to see man and animal living together in harmony and hopefully soon; we hear more stories like this pouring in from around our tiny globe. But in the meantime, it is best we celebrate another beautiful episode from this magnificent series. Because seeing how our world ties together, is a humbling experience, and it truly makes you feel as though you’re a part of something bigger and the fact that this documentary series is able to accomplish that, makes it a special series indeed. Until next time.  

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