It's the End of the World, and the Beginning of Everything

March 1, 2025 Tagged: #reflections

Kyle in Antarctica with sea ice in the background A couple days ago I got back from an amazing, life-changing two-week vacation to Antarctica. 🇦🇶😍

My dad and I flew to the tip of South America—el fin del mundo, “the end of the world”—and took a cruise down to the Antarctic Peninsula, visiting islands as far south as the Antarctic Circle, below which the sun doesn’t rise/set for at least 24 hours each year.

The scale of everything we saw was indescribable. Icebergs, mountains, glaciers as far as the eye could see. We also saw amazing wildlife that came up close to our ship and zodiac rafts. Humpback whales, fur seals, gentoo and Adelie penguins, albatross, cormorants, and more.

I took at least 6,000 photos, and it was so awe-some to capture the sights and the animals with my camera. The lens was like a magnifying glass that let me focus on the little details of the sweeping landscape.

Each day was packed with the expedition activities off-ship and lectures about Antarctica. I learned so much about the animals, the climate, the history of human activities and geopolitics in the region, the tourism industry there, and more. In this way, we got to experience tourism as advocacy, learning about the importance of the treaties, research, and citizen science protecting the antarctic region.

One of the best parts of this trip was being (mostly) disconnected from technology for two weeks. Coming back to social media and the 24/7 news cycle is overwhelming, and I don’t want to re-acclimate to it.

While on the trip, I read a short essay by Thich Nhat Hanh in which he wrote: “To suffer is not enough. We must also be in touch with the wonders of life.” The world is in a rapid descent to catastrophe right now, and yet there is also so much beauty, joy, and humor around each of us. I commit to continuing to experience and appreciate the beauty and joy around me like I did on this vacation.

I heard a saying when we visited Tierra del Fuego National Park—”it’s the end of the world, and the beginning of everything.” Here’s to the beginning of everything, and doing our part to create the world we wish to see.