Sharks, Grizzlies and Friendship

Recently tinterweb news was telling me about a cull of Great White sharks in Western Australia (well in the sea off the coast of Australia, I don't think there are many sharks inland, even in Australia).  Apart from thinking it was sad, I thought in the past people accommodated themselves to where they lived, and now people expect to live the same lives wherever they are, and if any accommodating is needed, it is the environment that needs to do it.

In one way, it is good that people do have expectations of enjoying their lives.  The people of our past, like in the unquiet country of time immemorial:

Our Past

would never have the expectation that they should be able enjoy their lives, and it is a huge amount of progress that working people can be free as never before. 

On the other hand, things have changed in a strange way.  In a way that if people want to immigrate to Australia and surf and swim, they expect sharks to be exterminated so that they can.  In the same way people in England do things like moving to the country and they getting court orders to stop bell-ringing or have donkeys put down because they are making too much noise too early in the morning.

Freedom is strange.  And somebody around here probably needs a slap.  I find that is usually the case wherever you are.

This film:

A Good film

covers these points in an interesting case study.  Timothy Treadwell wanted to be free to live with the bears, and protect them in his way.  A local native American speaking in the film explains why it was a bad idea.  In the way of his people you didn't mix with bears, generally you tried to keep away from them.  He disapproved of people mixing with bears because it confused the issue on both sides.  People live with people and bears live with bears (well not really very much, they mostly live by themselves).  There is a way to know and respect, even love bears without living with them.  It is a pagan way, a way to love without possession.  I am practising this a bit with my cat friend.  She comes to visit me and we are pleased to see each other, but she isn't mine and at the moment I don't intend to get a cat of my own.  I am just enjoying friendship with nature, without ownership.

p.s. the extra features: In The Edges, making the music for Grizzly Man, is amazing and well worth a watch.