We live in illusion and the appearance of things. There is a reality. We are that reality. When you understand this, you see that you are nothing, and being nothing, you are everything. That is all. --Kalu Rinpoche

 

Kildeer Tragedy...

July 11, 2011

For a number of years a Killdeer pair has nested and successfully reared it's young a short distance from my office. This year would apparently be no different. Mama Killdeer layed four eggs. She and papa Kildeer executed all the classic Killdeer behaviours, employing diversion and subterfuge to protect the nest. They did everything by the "book". The calamity struck when, by my calculations, the eggs were within days of hatching. An unusually intense thunderstorm struck and dumped close to three inches of rain, washing away the eggs. I was profoundly moved. Here was a pair of beings that had done everything right - by "the book". Yet, their prospective progeny had been struck down by an event that, within the scope of their knowledge and perceptive capabilities, they could not have forseen. That they had for weeks successfully fended off the local population of cats, raccoons, crows, and opossums only to have it end this way seemed ironic. I do not pretend to grasp the extent of the bird's emotional spectum - but my understanding of avian cognition suggests that the pair must have suffered in some way from the loss. I know that I did. It has been emphasized that intellectual awareness of the often impersonal and arbitrary nature of death is not the same as coming to terms with it on an emotional level. Once again the wisdom of the teachers is manifest - I have much more work to do in my practice. As for the Killdeer pair, may they have better luck next year...

Honeybee Democracy...

June 30, 2011

I am currently reading a wonderful book, Honeybee Democracy, by Thomas Seely. The book describes the process by which a honeybee swarm selects a new home. The author's passion for the subject is manifest and exposition of the "brass tacks" of his process of experimentation and discovery delightful. A swarm of these these fascinating little creatures exhibits behaviour that is rich and complex, and it almost always makes the right decision with respect to residence. He goes on to outline the similarities of the swarm decision making process and a New England town hall meeting. That this discovery has deep implications for understanding the basis of cognition is almost serendipitous. In many ways the decision-making process of bee swarms reminds me of the beautiful copycat work of Melanie Mitchell. A highly recommended read.

Eagle tragedy...

June 6, 2011

For many years I and many thousands of viewers have had the privilege of watching (via webcam) a bald eagle pair at the Norfolk Botanical Gardens bear and raise their young. This year, with three eaglets in the nest, a tragic accident killed the mother eagle. A team of experts concluded that the father eagle alone would not be able to provide adequate nutrition and care for the triplets and that one or more would surely be lost to dehydration in the summer heat. The eaglets were removed and sent to the Virginia Wildlife Center where they will be cared for until they can be released to the wild - sometime this August. The people at the center do do great work. Help them if you can.

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