Blog

Sand

Sand

Ian Martin in Pearly Beach

Sand is formed when rocks are eroded by wind and water over millions of years. Only sharp angular sand produced by water erosion can be used in construction, and the fine rounded sand found in deserts and on most beaches is unsuitable for making cement and concrete. With the growth of the human population and rapidly increasing urbanisation, sand has become the second most consumed raw material after water. An estimated 50 billion tons is being used up annually, with many countries having to import what will soon be a scarce, non-renewable (on the human time scale) commodity.

This information does not surprise me. It is further evidence of our collective refusal to acknowledge that there are far too many of us and that a global economy based on growth and consumption is unsustainable. 

There are, however, a few of us who do not aspire to a way of life-based on short-term materialistic self-gratification. Some rare individuals understand the interconnectedness of everything in the natural world and the need to tread lightly and with care. This respectfulness is often expressed in mystical language that appeals to me, even though I have no belief in the supernatural. William Blake, for one, was able to feel reverence for a single grain of sand.

And Bob Dylan echoed these sentiments in his song, Every Grain of Sand.

Listen to Every Grain of Sand here. 

As for me, I often take pleasure from watching the movement of sand on the beach and along the line of dunes. The sea and the wind are constantly at work, sometimes imperceptibly and at other times with dramatic violence. Knowing that this fine white sand has been in the making for hundreds of millions of years helps me to shun the delusion that my life is of any consequence. To talk of achievements, successes and failures is laughably absurd. In a day and a night, the strong northwester erases all footprints and reshapes the crest of a dune formed by a week-long southeaster. In a hundred years’ time, what trace will be left of my existence? And in a few thousand years there will be little evidence left to show that a pernicious species of animal blighted the planet for a brief period before becoming extinct.

If, after 50 years, this is all that is left of the houses at Plaatjies Kraal, in another 50 years all evidence of human habitation will have been erased. Only sand will remain.

To view my longer work as an author, you can find me on Smashwords here.

Sand

Ian Martin

This is my writer's blog and it's a pleasure to have your company. You’ll see that the site is designed to showcase my writing.

View Profile

What is Xplorio?

Xplorio is your local connection allowing you to find anything and everything about a town.

Watch the Gansbaai Video
Read More

Other Articles

Overstrand Tourism Diary: 24 - 28 September 2025

Overstrand Tourism Diary: 24 - 28 September 2025

Here’s the latest Overstrand Tourism Diary, filled with music, markets, walks, workshops, and live entertainment for visitors and locals.

Gansbaai Tourism
My Hairdresser

My Hairdresser

I have been going to the same hairdresser for 41 years. If, on average, she has cut my hair every two months, it only requires a simple arithmetic calculation to multiply six by forty-one, and arrive at the number of times she has given me a haircut....

The Future of Business Is Remote

The Future of Business Is Remote

Smart businesses are going virtual. Disocver why hiring a remote virtual assistant is key to growth, freedom and flexiability.  

Winter in Gansbaai? Yes Please!

Winter in Gansbaai? Yes Please!

Gansbaai is the place to be this winter! 

Gansbaai Tourism
Memory Project: My Green Spectacle Case

Memory Project: My Green Spectacle Case

I recently chanced upon this spectacle case when rummaging through a bottom drawer filled with miscellaneous junk. The sight of it got me thinking about the history of my accursed affliction.

Chelsea Flowers in Stanford

Chelsea Flowers in Stanford

Uncover the Cape Floral Kingdom through Leon Kluge’s Gold-Award-winning flower show display and the Grootbos Florilegium.

Grootbos Foundation
See All Articles