Saturday, January 19, 2008

Pheeling Philosophical

OK, why does Ph sound like F? Why not just use F?

I've been reading online news, wondering what is going on with our country, our people, the world at large. . . .

First, Tatiana the Tiger escapes her cage, kills one, and mauls 2 more. Let me first say that the intelligence of Tatiana is amazing. She didn't injure anyone other than the 3 involved in the taunting, two of whom she apparently had to track down. Methinks we underestimate the rest of the animal world, species-centric beings that we humans are. So, we have 3 young men drinking and stoned who decide on Christmas day to go to the zoo and taunt a large predator. Could we just call it felony stupid and move on? Then could we also admit that putting large predators in enclosures that are designed more for the viewing public, read that as "paying" public, than for the safety of the animal and the public is the same kind of stupid. Obviously the zoo is going to be sued & will pay major bucks. That seems to be the only way corporate America learns anything, and yes I see these large zoos as little more than money-generating corporations. So they will get to pay their penalty in the only realm that really matters to them. And the 3 young men have learned a lesson one would hope, well actually 2 may have learned a lesson, one just died for his stupidity. And Tatiana was executed. Everybody gets punished in the way most poetically suited to them. Such is the law of the jungle.

We seem to have this mistaken idea that we are at the top of the food chain. It takes very little to prove just how untrue that is. Life ain't a video game, and as the old story goes it's not so much that we need help holding on to the tiger - we may need help letting go.

Then we have the current political campaign show. It's not much different. On the Republican side, Rudy is finding out that character matters. Romney thinks he has enough money to buy the presidency - and given that the country is heavily in debt while he's loaded, maybe he does. Huckabee wants to make "God's law" - his version that is - the law of the land & has Chuck Norris as his personal enforcer. Fred thinks he can try out for the part but the writers' strike must be hurting him. And McCain is hampered by history. For the Dems, Edwards seems to be having trouble with jury selection. Obama can't sell a "let's just get along" view. And Hillary. . . well, much of her "experience" is in accepting the unacceptable.

I may write in Buckeroo. He likes most everybody, but provoke him at your peril. He will protect the borders of his territory quite well, and he knows who the "bad guys" are (in his case it's coyotes). He recognizes when he's at a disadvantage, i.e., on leash, and is especially careful then. He's got way more going for him than most of our so-called leaders.

This world of ours is very contradictory. On one hand we have very porous borders what with air travel, internet, global trade, etc. On the other hand, at times we revert to the primitive with Bin Laden able to hide out for years in the mountains of Afghanistan/Pakistan and all our technology unable to bring him in. The old ways and old ideas don't fit the modern reality; yet we forget our natures, our animal natures, only at great cost. It's a time of transition. Some of the questions that will face the leaders we will elect have no present answers and will call for creativity and a huge leap of faith. I long for leaders, statesmen/women if you will, not politicians. I don't want sound bites, focus groups, and canned rhetoric. Character, Courage, Creativity.

And, while I might wish to dig in and hide, I'll take the viewpoint about this election that my favorite uncle took about the Catholic Church: The show's been playing for centuries and the costumes are great. So, I'll go - to the poll on February 5th, not church - and play my little bit part. The thing is that without the bit players the big show makes no sense.

No comments: