http://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-29441074
The baboon has been isolated there for three years. He can see and hear his family calling for him on the other side of the river, but when he was given a chance to cross back in a boat loaded with bananas, he chose not to. Meanwhile, the entire location, on both sides of the river, stands to become flooded due to a local dam.
Is it natural to become isolated from your own kind? The local authorities are not interfering, because they believe nature must take its course in the case of this baboon. But what exactly is nature? And is man a thing apart, or is man also just a part of nature?
Bow and I are not nearly as isolated as that baboon. We have family and friends who sometimes come to see us. We have each other, and we talk on the phone and on Skype with still others. Would it be better to have more social contact? Sure. But in the meanwhile, we are counting our blessings. Life is good.
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Very interesting story about Robinson. I wonder why he doesn't want to go home? 3 years is a long time to be isolated. Maybe he has decided that it's more peaceful over there, albeit very slim pickings for food! It would be so interesting if he could talk and tell us why he chooses to stay. And he doesn't return his family's calls? Long time to hold a grudge. Ha!
ReplyDeleteI think we are all very lucky here - we can choose to socialize with friends / family....or not, as in Robinson's case.
Kathy, I would love it if Robinson could tell us what he is thinking and why he chooses to stay apart from his family. But even if he spoke a language that we could understand, he might not know how to answer that question. So many people are estranged from their families and are unable to explain how or why it happened.
DeleteI do agree that we are all lucky here, because we can choose how much or how little we socialize. It's ultimately the ability to choose, and not the specific choice, that makes it freedom.