• animals,  Avian,  Barry López,  quotes

    Separated Ourselves

    “A fundamental difference between our culture and Eskimo culture, which can be felt even today in certain situations, is that we have irrevocably separated ourselves from the world that animals occupy. We have turned all animals and elements of the natural world into objects. We manipulate them to serve the complicated ends of our destiny. Eskimos do not grasp this separation easily, and have difficulty imagining themselves entirely removed from the world of animals. For many of them, to make this separation is analogous to cutting oneself off from light or water. It is hard to imagine how to do it.”

    Barry López

    I would even suggest that man has turned humans into objects! Many do not see the connectedness we have with one another. As William James says “We are like islands in the sea, separate on the surface but connected in the deep” but many do not see it.

    It was -3 degrees at 7:30 this morning and we’ve had light to heavy snow throughout the day. Not expecting to get above 10 degrees today. Probably not going on that picnic today, either.

    Robins gathering as they nibble on berries from a nearby tree