Sunday, December 07, 2008

Here There and Everywhere

Today I read the book Here There and Everywhere, a story about a Lorikeet parrot captured for the pet trade and then released back into the wild. It is a childrens book and intended to provide instruction about parrot conservation and issues of the pet trade and keeping parrots as captive pets. The story is told mostly from the bird's point of view.

While reading it, I couldn't help but feel a sense of familiarity. While hiking the PCT I felt much at home, as though I were living out a truer existence. It felt right to be outdoors in the wilderness, using my body strenuously each day, walking purposefully, and meeting others of my "tribe" along the way. I even had a wild name to go along with my wild way of life. Then I came home. The feeling is much like becoming a captive bird.

It is not natural to live surrounded by noisy cars and freeways with nature so very far away. It is not natural to be so terribly domesticated, perfumed, coiffed and sedentary.

Do we all, somewhere deep inside ourselves, call out to our flocks still living somewhere in the wild?

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