Peter Capstick relates a story in Last Horizons about a fellow on a film safari in Kenya. Seems the people in the bus tour saw a pride of lions and he, wandering alone in his car, saw none. Agitated, he got directions and headed off to find the Pride. This is known, because he filmed it on his camera. He also filmed his smiling face looking goofy in the camera, and his shushing the camera, then he proceeded to walk over to the pride which was asleep under some thorn trees. Once there he reached out and patted one lion on the rump.
The lion, and its mate, jumped up grabbed the man and ate him all up. All up, as next day authorities could find so little evidence of him in the area he was listed as missing. It wasn't until the camera was sent home with his other personal effects, the film developed by his wife, and viewed....nice touch....that they finally came to understand what had happened to the fellow.
I feel the way Walt feels about bears toward the Car thieves that mark this area with their activities. I scream and yell; but stay outa reach. Rather let a neighbor loose a car to parts than loose my life being a very short term hero. Quite frankly I prefer the danger I know, Yelling at a bear would seem less likely to be as effective as yelling at thieves. And I'd be hesitant to shoot a weapon smaller than a howitzer at a bear.
Nature likes to eat you up if you let it; and even when you don't let it. The sky and the trees are wonderful, but lie there in the grass staring up at the sky for to long and something is going to come up and take a bite out of you. This is not to say I don't like and appreciate nature; only that I am very aware of its uncertain realities.
Can you really get metaphysical about the shark that is moving around in the murk in shadowy profile. It made me very aware of the event, and the experience is vivid and beautiful. But I was quite happy when the boat came up and I could lay against the gunnel and stare up at the sky, letting my heart return to something less than 180.
We have struggled against nature to survive for eons; its in our genes maybe. But like a dream of a childhood home, its the memories of the good things that survive. The flowers, the trees, the rivers flowing through rocky tree strewn valleys. But when we go back to that old home, really get back to nature, we discover all the unpleasantries we have pushed to the backs of our minds.
The myth of our oneness with nature is that to many people it implies some kind of symbiotic experience, when it's always been preditor-prey.
regards,
mnmuench |
