A forest is a great body of trees and smaller plants that all work together to keep the land wealthy, healthy, and happy. So I see it that way. If you build a forest up on a bit of land it will keep the water from evaporating away entirely and prevent erosion. A forest is a power for conservation.
Sometimes I ask if the Sahara was once green then why the bloody hell can't we make it green again? If all it needs is a bit of water there is plenty to hand in the ocean. Let's just find a way to desalt it and pour the liquid across the sand. Once the grass and the trees start growing back you'll see animal life return to the north and we'll all have a lot more land to share.
But of course it's not that simple, is it? If I had to explain why I would guess that we have shot the pig by allowing Al Qaeda and these other terrorist groups to take root in the Sahara. No one wants to live in the desert so we gave it to the terrorists de facto. Now they control or threaten all the resources that might be hidden there.
When you take your savings and invest it into a struggling business you are planting a forest in a desert. It needs some water to help it grow. The business needs customers and partners who nourish it and help it grow.
I have a chummie who lends his money out to farmers and merchants in other countries. He endures a bit of hardship for doing this but he says that one day his investments will pay off handsomely. I'll feel a bit foolish if that happens but I don't want him to fail.
We have grown up in a world that competes for everything. There are those who have more than others and they seem disinclined to share what they have. But once in a while you meet a bloke like Erik who reaches out to strangers.
His wealth will grow. I know it. He is generous in his heart but shrewd in the head. He carefully chooses who he helps and he reads all about their situation before making a decision.
Maybe you have heard about Kiva. That's an international effort to help the less fortunate. Reading their site makes you feel there is love left in the human spirit. It's a place to start on your journey of helping your fellow man, but not the only such place.
Maybe they won't turn the Sahara back into a green land but there is hope that the rest of Africa and other nations less fortunate outside Europe and North America will benefit from the good will and good fortune of others. That is like planting a forest. The seeds will grow and one day restore the land, paying back in dividends we cannot imagine.
