Thursday, September 21, 2006

Don't mess with nature

A high-pitched sound of babies crying can be heard from afar, muffled by walls upon walls of concrete in a tiny six hundred square foot apartment, a young, clean shaven husband torn between two choices, a safe job in a chicken rice stall or a risky job being a police officer. He is adamant about being a police officer to help wipe crime off the streets, while his wife pleads on reasons of insecurity and the high risk involved. His 5 year old daughter looks at them, expressionless, but imprinting it into memory. Perhaps one day she would find him sprawled on the tarmac in a pool of blood fresh from a gangland shootout. Perhaps then she'd be infuriated and wondered how life would be different if he had chosen the chicken rice path, perhaps he would've been successful, everyone's gotta eat, and opened up several franchises across different districts, catapulting them out of their congested living space in no time.

Sounds like a chinese movie doesn't it?

But it reflects the reality of the choices you make in life. If you choose danger and excitement, you have to be able to live with the consequences. Yes, there is a higher probability you can bask in glory for each successful goal completed, but on the other hand you subject the people close to you to the same dangers as well. Is it fair? Is it just? Or do we supress our dreams to protect the ones we love?

Many are mourning the September 4th death of Steve Irwin. Some have sent me emails on it as well. Call me anti-establishment or the underdog supporter but I feel he had it coming. I mean, you're seriously messing with nature by taking a hands-on, television-friendly, dramatically-enthusiastic method of presentation. Sure its great for viewers sitting at a safe distance from their TV millions of miles away, but at what cost? I join the likes of marine explorer Jean-Michel Cousteau who says that while he 'mourns the recent death...You don't touch nature, you just look at it. And that's why I'm still alive. I've been diving for 61 years...and I don't mess with nature.'

So, I don't feel remorse, or a sense of loss. Irwin did what he had to do, because he chose that path, and although it was unfortunate, I actually applaud the few witch-hunters who murdered a couple of sting-rays days after his death (come on, we cook these things in curry powder over a hot grill here), we should accept that this happened and get on with it. Perhaps, in another dimension karma would've had him operating a chicken rice stall grilling rays as a side dish.