September 30, 2007
What is it in humans that rehabilitates us in the eyes of those that watch?
You can go thru life as a cynic, & disparage the human race for our ceaseless slaughter, but then you hear about things like a bunch of bystanders getting together to save a bear from a deadly fall off a bridge, and it makes you wonder.
What evolutionary advantage is there in saving the bear? Why did they do this? Don't ask Ayn Rand.
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Oh, me and my pesky editorialising.
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Bravo! Good question...
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But would they do it for a fellow human being? Answer: most likely, and I am a cynic today.
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Double!
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Catch a falling bear and put in in your big net Save it from a messy end
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NO DUBLE YOU PHAIL
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b-cuz bearz iz teh kyooot. (not them hairy mens kind.)
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But would they do it for a fellow human being? Actually, they'd probably taser the poor bastard.
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Dammit, don't justify my cynicism!
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But what if they had failed to save the bear? What then?
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Bear jam sandwiches!
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Chillee Uggum's Bear Jam?
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And who is watching? What did I mean by that? Why am I asking you?
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They saved the bear because they could! Imagination, compassion and empathy are human attributes. Personality based observation of your environment, or the world. That which you seek may be to confirm and justify an existing attitude. In effect, a self-fulfilling prophecy to confirm existing prejudices. Human behaviour covers a very broad spectrum. In reality, people want to feel good, how that manifests can be negative or positive. Bear baiting or bear saving, for instance. If you want to see the world as full of misery and cruelty, you will find it but if you observe with some kind of balance, you may discover there are a greater number of bear savers than there are of bear baiters. Must polish my rose-coloured spectacles, they're a bit mucky. ;P
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I'm pretty impressed by the bear's ability to hang on like that for a full day. Bears are some tough animals!
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Of course, if it had been a drop bear, it would have been the foolish humans who were in danger.
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Dammit, Hank, you know my weakness!
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Let's see, do we feel today like people are good or people are bad? Okay: They saved the bear only out of self-interest. No other explanation is possible. They knew that saving the bear would make them feel good about themselves. See? Philosophizing emptily is easy!
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Don't be cynics! This is awesome.
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It is awesome. Yay people! Yay bear!
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I don't care why they did this. All I know is, it made me feel great to read about it and for now that's enough.
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Bears: 1 Humans: 1 Both Advance to Semifinals
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Orphaned cub to get help with hibernation
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Biologist Rescues Drowning, Tranquilized Bear
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that bear rescue is insane, that guy is definitely the stud of apal-appallooch--FLORIDA right now :)
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Scaling heights to get their goat