Rosenbush Cafe

Nature is wonderful. Imagine a time when humans first pulled themselves from the muck and began colonizing the planet and since we’ve been here for our brief span we have succeeded in destroying this planetary gift. Long before the Industrial Revolution there was already human slavery and species were hunted and killed from existence, never to be seen again, and entire races have vanished thanks to other races hunting and killing them from existence. Animals hunt for food, and with the exception of mental disease, which can affect animals; they are not serial killers, mass murderers, rapists, child molesters or corrupt evil bipeds.

We, however, hunt and destroy animals at an alarming rate, especially if they are beautiful, majestic near extinction or tasty.

These seals have learned the secret of happiness: take a swim, eat seafood, and relax on rocks, snuggling together with scenery that is devoid of skyscrapers, polluting automobiles, rap music, television and billboards. They may appear to not appreciate their surroundings but have you ever wondered why humans cage animals for amusement? Humans enjoy suffering and enslave everything from mammals for experimentation to myriad species to gawk at behind prison bars called zoos, or as one online dictionary define them: “a place where many kinds of wild animals are kept for the public to see.”

Few 21st Centurions embrace the Walden themes from Henry David Thoreau and the transcendentalist philosophy. When transcendentalism began as a protest against the state of society, culture and intellectualism - especially at Harvard, it was premonitory; the Dada movement would protest established artistic normalcy in similar fashion.

To live free of technology, including the mechanism of transferring text and graphics across the ether, eat vegetables, become one with nature again and escape the cage which enslaves us, would be glorious. Not many of us can accept Dr. Timothy Leary’s mantra to “turn on, tune in and drop out.”

While there are still pockets of true Luddites living in the Appalachian Mountains, Everglades, far reaches of the Pacific Northwest or north of Canada most of us live in cities, which is our zoo. Take a break from the madness and retreat into Mother Nature’s domain but watch out for the most dangerous animal in the forest: man.

Enjoy the natural settings while they still exist and appreciate the splendor of it all. American Indians subscribed to the incorporation of nature and humans in a very specific way: they honored it. Their names evoked animals and streams and their customs combined the essence of nature.

The day is soon to become unfettered by technology, credit cards and fancy automobiles and Blackberries. Remember when they were a tasty fruit in the hand and not handheld madness for the sake of information overload?

Seals don’t have Blackberries, IPods, cell phones or Escalades. They don’t wear designer jeans or have tongue studs, shop at Tiffany’s or cheat on taxes. While they may not always get along,, they don’t load up firearms, storm into upstate New York immigration centers and murder strangers. They don’t steal identities,

We should learn from seals, cats, dogs, birds, bees and “lions and tigers and bears, oh my.” Take a break this weekend and sit on a rock.

Restore personal perspective sans anger, resentment, mean-spiritedness or jealousy.

Be a seal and if it still suits you afterwards, a human being.

Thanks to Tim McGraw; anytime you see wonderful Alaska he is the photographer. Taken in 2003