Wednesday October 27, 2004
Breaking down barriers
Why do we have pets?
The question occurred to me while watching a video clip, on B.C.\’s Knowledge Network, of some marine biologists with a very tame seal who was happily doing some underwater research for them.
Yet seals are not natural friends of humans. Wild seals are – with good reason – suspicious of human intentions. Cornered, they will use their very sharp teeth with devastating effect.
Yet in this case, both the seal and the scientists were clearly enjoying their mutual relationship.
Some people want pets, of course, so that they can have something to dominate. So they kick their cats, beat their dogs, and ride their horses to an early death. But those people are, in my experience, a small minority.
Obsessive about pets
Personally, I\’m obsessive about pets. I can\’t pass a dog on the street without attempting to make friends with it. I have to restrain myself from taking home stray cats. Recently, I have found myself taking along snacks for a Muscovy duck living on the lake front – a domesticated bird that apparently prefers freedom to dependable meals. It used to fly away; now it waddles towards me on its big flat feet.
One of the greatest thrills of my life came on a trip to the Galapagos Islands, when our group was allowed to frolic in the ocean with a group of wild sea lions. Their swimming skills simultaneously enchanted and humiliated us.
When we left, a row of sleek heads stuck out of the water, as if saying, “Aw, do you have to go so soon?”
The federal fisheries department wants to spend $500,000 (probably more, by now) to relocate the killer whale Luna with his pod. As syndicated columnist Paul Willcocks asked, “If Luna is happy and healthy where he is, why move him? He seems to like human company; he\’s not a threat to anyone who has taken any reasonable precautions…”
Luna could be a huge asset to the local community. Gold River suffered huge economic losses when its pulp mill closed. But it could be one of the few places in the world where people can encounter a live whale in a natural setting.
Distrust that divides To receive this column regularly via e-mail, send a request to jimt@quixotic.ca. E-mail subscribers also get excerpts from correspondence about these columns. Please forward a copy of this column to anyone who might be interested in subscribing.
If you want to order my books, you can call 1-800-663-2775 in Canada, 1-800-328-0200 in the U.S., or order them on-line at the Wood Lake Books website.
For a lighter look at ethics, faith, and life, I recommend Ralph Milton\’s weekly e-newsletter Rumors. You can subscribe to it at the Wood Lake Books home page in Ralph Milton\’s Site, or by sending a note directly to ralphmilton@woodlake.com.
It\’s also worth pursuing Richard Fairchild\’s United Online site. Another site worth visiting is David Keating\’s \”SeemslikeGod\” page.
There is, I suspect, a deep seated desire in most of us to break down the barriers that divide us from each other and from the natural world. Whether that desire derives from the ancient story of the Garden of Eden where all of God\’s creation lived in harmony, or whether that story came into being to explain our desire, I don\’t know. I just know that it\’s there.
It\’s why debilitated seniors in care facilities will respond to a visiting pet. It\’s why dairy farmers get attached to their herds. It\’s why I catch my breath when a handful of deer prance across my lawn, or a coyote saunters down the lane.
For a short while, the barriers of suspicion and distrust that divide us have come down. And we can enjoy each other\’s presence without fear.
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Copyright © 2002 by Jim Taylor. Non-profit use in congregations and study groups permitted; all other rights reserved.
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