blog 13

The "mixed community" from Mary Midgely's Animals and Why They Matter, Midgley describes the relationship between children and animals and a level of tolerance based on the recognition of immaturity. Its similar expectations, the way a person would treat a puppy would be more lenient than one would treat a full grown dog and it seems dogs treat small children the same way. But the idea itself I feel was more intended to illustrate a strong relationship between animals and humans as a way to convey the idea that man and animals are capable of coexisting.

This relationship between child and animal led me the question of what happens as we grow up that pushes us away from this relationship with animals? As we grow up, something happens to us that in our minds creates us as superior to animals. It probably has a large amount to do with a culture that portrays us a s superior, but is that a good excuse to remain solidly set in our ways. You can look at Timohthy Treadwell and say "you know maybe this whole human animal equal relationship just can't happen, it just won't work." Thirteen years is a long time to do what he did without being killed by bears and its obvious proof that what he was doing worked.

I think a realtionship of equality between not just humans and animals can exist, but equality between humans and life. Where it is understood that in the chain of life for one organism to live others have to die. Treadwell lives 13 years with bears completely safe with bears, but mayber the bear goes a day without food, two days, and so on. For the bear it turns into, I must eat this man or die. Just as the Donner party had to eat people to survive when placed in hard times that required extensive measures needed for survival. As humans "develope", we forget that we are animals to and whether we like it or not we are part if the environment and just as suseptible to being eaten as as a deer or a cow.