I read an artcile in the Daily Mail tonight - about a chimp who had taken over "motherly" duties for a young Puma. She learned how to do it and decided "this is the job for me". I could not help but feel both lifted and sad reading the story.
Have a read.
Below is the comment I wrote for the DM - which may or may not appear but - it's what I think and I hope you can see the "bitter sweet" irony and tragedy in my comments.
I read stories such as this with a mixture of love, hope and despair. Anjana is fulfilled, caring and happy in her role. She demonstrates true compassion and love in her self appointed "work" and is, no doubt, very good at what she does. She cares nothing about the exchange rates, flu pandemics or the global warming myth - she simply has a job to look after an animal that needs her help and will benefit from her far superior intelligence. She is, in short, a role model to all of us and, for that, I feel love and hope when I read about her. The despair comes in when I contrast her life to the mess we, as a species have made of ours. Our natural instincts are far more leaning toward those of Anjana - yet, because of how we have allowed ourselves to be "led", virtually none of us can act in such a natural way - because it doesn't make money and how stupid is that really? I know that apes, like us, are fiercely territorial and can be cruel - but they don't build weapons, purely to kill as many of their own species as possible - simply to enrich and empower a few. They don't form "secret" societies, force others to pay for them and refuse to explain what they have used our time and labour for. They don't even understand what a bank balance is, let alone appear willing to destroy their environment and that of other members of their species, simply so they can have more money. They don't blindly follow their "leaders" when it is clear that, to do so, could lead to their deaths. We DO - and that is why, when I read artciles such as this, I cry for the "ordinary" members of our species who's ambitions are far closer to those of Anjana than those who purport to "lead" us. Most of us just want to work to provide for our families and enkoy the fact that we have the intellect to make our environment far more comfortable than most other animals - instead of living in "leader" driven fear and the insane pace we are forced to live our lives at.
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