Are We Gods or Animals?
A Backyard Musing
Two years in a row, a pair of bluebirds have tried to set up housekeeping in the birdhouse on our cedar fence. Both times, they failed. Why?
Robins refuse to let them stay.
It turns out that robins are territorial. They made claims on our little backyard quite some time ago. As far as they’re concerned, it belongs to them. It doesn’t matter that they’ll never use the birdhouse. It’s far too small for their kind. Nope! They don’t care.
They ain’t sharing the space.
A chipmunk is allowed in the yard, however. Maybe because his nest is below ground, robins don’t feel threatened. The chipmunk, however, won’t allow a second chipmunk on the premises. Nope! He works too damn hard to share his bounty with anyone else. Sometimes, while I’m sitting on the patio, Mr. Chipmunk gives me a lecture on his way to and from his house. I’m pretty sure he wants me to pack up and leave, too.
I stare him down.
I sit for hours watching the antics of the critters in my backyard. They’re different, yet they have so much in common. I see us in them as well. We’re nothing more than animals ourselves. We think we’re better.
We’re not.
Humans are territorial and hate to share. We fight constantly. Relationships outside the tribe threaten our well-being. By in large, we’re instinctual with perhaps more volatile emotions than other species. Plus, we’re an invasive species. We burrow our way into every ecological system and disrupt it.
We continually destabilize the balance of nature.
But we have these marvelous big brains which create dreams that sometimes come true. Machines, art, medicine, music, you name it. It’s this ability to imagine and create that sets us apart. It makes us feel like gods.
Yet, we squander this gift.
We destroy our own creations and wipe out entire cities steeped in history, architecture, books, paintings, photos, and everything that elevates humanity. Not just once but over and over again.
We are a crazy species.
We’re just as apt to destroy as we are to create. I contend that’s why our gods are so violent. We created them. They’re us. We’re them.
Teresa Roberts is a retired educator, author, world traveler, and professional myth buster. You can find her books on Amazon.
