Epilogue: Patmos

Having completed my journey aboard Pontoporia, I returned to my refuge on Patmos, to try to make some sense of what I learned during the journey. Here, the idyllic spirit of the place is under threat by the agents of change at work at all scales—from the world’s ocean to the smallest of Mediterranean islands—providing an indication of the pervasiveness of the challenges humanity faces. A peaceful afternoon on a caique set the scene for an unexpected encounter with the monk seal I had met 20 years before. Even more unexpectedly, the seal spoke to me: an episode serving as a poignant metaphor for the voice of nature expressing concern about humanity’s destructive impact on the environment. This surreal monologue prompted me to call for a radical shift in human perspective, departing from a dualistic ideology that separates humanity from nature. For such a shift to happen, a fundamental philosophical and societal change is needed, including the challenge to the prevailing economic dogma of perpetual growth. This change requires a deep revision of human behaviour and suggests a transition away from capitalism and a reconnection with nature. The challenge is immense, and success will be hard to reach, but not impossible. But to succeed, we have no other option than to try.