When Death is just inches away.

Left:  A tachinid fly is unaware of the nearby spider.  Right:  A flower crab spider.

I think the above scene illustrates the situations we get ourselves into from time to time, when we are completely unaware of the danger around us.  Or perhaps we are aware, but are so used to the fact that we no longer heed it.  I think both are true.

In the first instance, it is impossible to know what lurks in the mind of our fellow man.  Or, while walking along a trail, what creatures may be nearby without our knowledge.  In the second instance, driving down the highway poses tremendous risk.  Yet we do it without much attention to the fact that tons of metal are flying past us mere feet away.  The truth is that the Spectre of Death is just around the corner.  Yet, life goes on.  It has to; we have little choice.

In the animal kingdom, survival is achieved through a myriad of means.  It comes down to being more about the species rather than the individual, as many organisms rely on sheer numbers to ensure the continuation of the population.  Then there is survival by means of protection (porcupine), speed (gazelle), care for the young (bison), toughness (honey badger), or poison (cobra).  Many organisms, not possessing any of the above, may feign some such ability through mimicry of body style or behaviour.  

Humans tend to employ more active means of protection.  We modify our environment, divide labour into different jobs, and educate ourselves so that we may thrive in our community.  But all of that doesn't mean that danger doesn't exist.  What it means is that we mitigate it through behaviour, which really is how humanity has managed to become the dominant species on Earth.  But, unlike the animals, it's not about the species, it's about the individual.  The fact is that we tend to be a selfish, greedy lot.

Our behaviour, which has gotten us this far, is the very thing that will likely doom us.  Overpopulation, war, pollution, and global warming, much of it driven by greed, all spell an upcoming disaster.  And we are so busy thinking about ourselves and so accustomed to the threat that we ignore it.  It's like a runaway truck on the highway, headed straight for us, and we just ignore it because we believe everything will be OK because it always has.  

Danger is always lurking around the next bend.  For us, it is our own greed and short-sightedness that awaits to pounce.  And its time is coming.

Thanks for reading.

Eric Svendsen     www.ericspix.com