Photo courtesy of National Geographic
As a “scientist†I put very little value in living my life according to the signs of the Zodiac. Having said that, however, as a Libra ;-), I can usually see at least two sides of most arguments. Recently, a touching story about Lawrence Anthony and elephants was shared on the BOFAWFb timeline.
I scrolled through some of the comments and saw an angry protest about focusing on God and not the mystery of man and elephants. The commenter opined that the mystery remains and can be celebrated by believers and nons. I found myself agreeing with him ala Libra, half way. After all, the story was about a man and his mysterious relationship with elephants. The leap to elephants “knowing God†is interesting, but not conclusive. However, it is a valid question to wonder where the mutual love and compassion between Lawrence and his elephants came from. Darwin’s Theory does not explain it. There was no survival benefit to the elephants to walk miles to visit Anthony’s home. Neither was there a survival benefit for Anthony to dedicate his life to saving endangered animals. He probably could have made more money and lived more comfortably working for a pharmaceutical co. or veterinary clinic.
After reading the story, I checked out the source:
https://www.facebook.com/HumanitysTeamWorldwide/
The banner for their cover reads, “Civil Rights Movement for the Soul,†and includes ghosted images of Gandhi, Dr. Martin Luther King and Mother Theresa. Although the three held widely divergent religious views, they shared a common bond of trying to improve humanity. It was not a surprise to see Lawrence Anthony included in their company.
Scrolling through their page showed uplifting thoughts from Maya Angelou, Lao Tzu, Rumi and an international, inter-spiritual, group of inspired writers.
 The critic has every right to express his disapproval of the post, however, whether he knows it or not, his criticism stands in opposition to the ideals of the three spiritual giants shown on the cover of the Humanitys Team page. He may also not know that Henry Thoreau’s essay and lectures on, “Civil Disobedience†inspired Gandhi to lead the relatively peaceful ousting of the British from India. In turn, Gandhi’s writings and actions inspired Dr. King to lead peaceful protests against a white-dominated American government that was tacitly (or overtly) complicit in repressing people of color. Gandhi and Dr. King shared a dream of universal spirituality that helped liberate and empower millions of people, physically, mentally and spiritually.
But, the critic raises some deeper issues. Is it possible that scientists are missing out on some of the mystery, intrigue and excitement of life by assuming that everything can be reduced to a soul-less formula? Conversely, are some religious people missing out on some of the amazing complexities of the universe by glibly reducing every mystery to a three letter word? There is nothing “religiously beautiful†about an African Lion leaping on a gazelle and ripping it limb from limb in order to feed herself and her cubs. Conversely, there is no scientific explanation for the mysterious relationship that Anthony had with his elephants.
This takes us back top the wisdom of Loren Eiseley who wrote in “The Immense Journey:â€
We are now in a position to see the wonder and terror of the human predicament: man is totally dependent on society. Creature of dream, he has created an invisible world of ideas, beliefs, beliefs, habits and customs which buttress him about and replace for him the precise instincts of the lower creatures. In this invisible universe he takes refuge, but just as instinct may fail an animal under some shift of environmental conditions, so man’s cultural beliefs may prove inadequate to meet a new situation, or, on an individual level, the confused mind may substitute, by some terrible alchemy, cruelty for love.