encouraged by that notion, I regard
it as the most dangerous element of our western, desert-originated religions.
Neither does asking whether an
organism is "good for the ecosystem" strike me as appropriate. A
prime feature of the Earth-ecosystem -- the biosphere -- is that all its
components are interconnected and its living things are mutually dependent.
Science is just beginning to grasp how intricate, fragile and necessary these
connections are. Therefore, in my opinion, no human is in the position to judge
how any living thing is good or bad for the ecosystem. Moreover, we don't know
the ultimate destiny of our evolving biosphere, so how can we judge whether the
role something plays in it now is "good" or "bad"?
Somewhere, a long time ago, I think
I read that the ancient Chinese had a special reply for any question asked from
an invalid premise. The reply was "Mu." "What did they say when
the blue sky hatched from its egg?" The best answer, shaking your head, is
"Mu." "Of what good is a slug to the ecosystem?"
"Mu."
So, "What is 'good'?"
"Goodness" and
"badness" can be judged only from specific frames of reference. If
your frame of reference is living pleasurably without regard for the future,
then a thorn in the foot is bad and a stick of chocolate is good. If your frame
of reference is the Christian Bible, then my owning a Kentuckian as a slave is
bad, but enslaving a Canadian is OK, as explained in Leviticus 25:44.
But, I don't know why the Universal
Creative Force created the Universe in the first place, why She keeps it going
in such mysterious ways, and what it all means. Consequently, my frame of
reference just isn't broad enough for making value judgments about any part of
Her Creation, including Her slugs and snails.
Therefore, Ted Campbell someplace
out there in Cyberspace, "Mu" to you.
*****
SNAKE BRAIN
Curious thing, this snake brain.
I've been writing an essay on how humanity seems to be aware that human-caused
disasters are about to change our lives -- global warming, consequences of
nuclear proliferation and the all-out war between Islam and the other Abrahamic
religions, for instance -- yet the vast majority of us just continue as always,
as if we don't see what's coming. For example, when given a chance to vote, we
even vote for politicians representing the status quo. Seeing the Northern
Water Snake looking right at me but my image not registering in his brain as
anything unusual, it occurred to me that maybe mass human behavior is governed
strictly by our reptilian brains.