Hello, fellow human beings,
During these autumn days of my life, I have been investigating new, topics of interest, which might not make me any richer financially, but which might make daily experiences, such as reading and reflecting, more meaningful.
Viktor Frankl, a Nazi-death-camp survivor, later wrote a book called “Man’s Search for Meaning”, which highlights the satisfaction of living such a life. Was he correct in his observations?
Along this same line of thinking, I have been focusing on little creatures that I find in the scrubs and trees on my property.
There are sparrows, finches, doves, mice, squirrels, lizards, bees, flies and an occasional hawk all gathered there usually looking for food. Since I provide them 20-pound bags of bird seed regularly, they show up regularly.
At first, I was convinced that they just liked me more than those other neighbors, an uncaring lot, but later a literary friend insisted that these animal affections were conditional and not really heart-felt and spontaneous.
Naturally, my feelings were hurt, but I still kept on with those engrained Judeo-Christian fantasies from my Lowell upbringing.
So, there is often a scampering about in a contest for these free grains, which I find keeps my mind away from the cruel realities of the outside world, a world completely removed from my direct influence.
As a result, I am generally much less informed about “world news and events”, which naturally makes me dumber, but I seem to be happier as a person. That is the price you pay for staying mostly in your own backyard.
Also, I am realizing that I know very little about the habits and quirks of these common creatures. Why was I so unaware before?
Are they carefully weighing out every one of their moves, or are they programmed to react on instinct?
We also, sometimes, react on instinct, but I wonder how much of our own world is also pre-programmed, which would make us more like robots than truth seekers.
Please give your answer in the space below.
Take care,
Paul
- P.S. Becoming more and more curious about the well-being of other life forms, which cohabitate our Earth, a reader might naturally search the Internet for programs dedicated to this purpose. The first one that came to mind, for me, was Animal Planet where I now often spend my spare time learning about the world of living creatures and not simply digesting another arcane, but interesting bit of knowledge regarding the gradual evolution of our Universe.
