It is a bright, crisp and beautiful Sunday in New York City, giving no hint of the devastation and horror on the other side of the world.
What a week it has been.
From celebrity meltdowns on national TV, to floods, to earthquakes, a Tsunami and, perhaps worst of all, the threat of nuclear meltdowns.
It reminds one of how truly fragile and unpredictable life really is.
All the things we take for granted or fret about and all the little things that irk us throughout a day. What does it all mean in the final scope of matters?
It is impossible to imagine what the people of Japan must be experiencing right now. For those fortunate enough to survive the earthquakes and Tsunami, there is the destruction around them, the loss of thousands of lives, economic devastation, power and food shortages and the fear of just whether the nuclear power plants can be prevented from blowing up or melting down.
Though it might seem that nothing can equal the forces of nature's wrath when it goes against us, the combination of natural forces and facilities created from human hands have potential for cataclysmic results far beyond any one country.
Is it, in fact, actually possible at this time to build nuclear plants that can withstand the possibilities of large quakes, Tsuamis or, in the case of war, an atom or nuclear bomb?
Certainly, it seems well past the time that we need to nurture and gather the greatest brains in the world to try and tackle these questions. The future of all life on earth could ultimately depend on it because, after all, even flying birds could not escape the effects of toxic radiation in the air.
That "brain" power however, is not mine.
In effort to feel some sense of "normalcy" in all this chaos, last night I walked my dogs over to Turtle Pond in Central Park.
The evening was quiet, peaceful and lovely.
I was hoping to see the family of geese who have returned to Turtle Pond over the past week or so. The "family" consists of the two parent geese and their now grown four goslings who will be a year-old this May.
There was the familiar and comforting sight and sounds of mallards on the pond.
And there were four geese resting peacefully on the small rocks inside the pond, not far from the little pier that bird lovers flock to see the waterfowl.
The same little rocks that one frequently saw the family sunning themselves last summer.
Standing on the little pier, under the moonlight of a sweet, crisp evening, some of the mallards and all four of the geese lazily swam towards me, presumably seeking some treats or just to say, "hi."
It occurred to me that these were most likely the four goslings ("teenagers," really) who were apparently left on their own temporarily while the parents went off for a romantic night together or might even be replenishing the old nest from last year.
"Hey, guys, you all by yourselves tonight? Did mommy and daddy go off for a romantic interlude?"
The youngsters didn't tattle on their parents. But, I could tell by their relaxed behavior and posture that my guess was probably correct and that this was not the first night the gown "kids" were safely left to their own devices.
I don't know of course, but am guessing that the parent geese are seeking to breed and raise young again.
It is however, highly unlikely that will be allowed to occur again, considering the goose egg addling program that is in place at Central Park and other areas. I am sure that by this time, park workers are busy figuring out way to get to and oil any eggs that mama goose might lay.
As previously noted, "egg addling" is something I am quite conflicted about.
While certainly preferable to rounding up and gassing Canada geese, I fail to see the "need" for egg destruction considering the small number of "resident" geese who actually stay in Central Park. As noted too, it is highly stressful to the parent geese who end up sitting on eggs (or guarding a nest) in which the babies never hatch.
So, no, I am not in favor of egg addling at this time.
Am sick of having to "appease" and placate to people like that animal-phobic couple from last week or an airline industry that won't take proper responsibility for "bird proofing" planes or using avian radar.
Its like building nuclear power plants that can't safely withstand the potential forces of large quakes, Tsunamis or even man-made bombs.
It is never really option to declare "war" on nature and hope that you can win or even outwit its forces and power in the end.
Like the geese, we have to find ways to live in harmony with nature, anticipate its potential dangers and ultimately "adapt" to its changes and challenges. -- PCA
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