Listening to the farmers & rancher that surrounded him on all sides, Etienne heard, almost every day, "They're killing our livestock, they need to be killed!" Things like that made the hackles rise up on his neck! They made his blood boil! "THEY were here first", he would say "WE are encroaching on THEIR territory!" He was right, but his remonstrations fell on deaf ears. For the most part, he was largely ignored, though some of those he protested to took it under consideration & sought more 'humane' ways to solve their problem, like live-trapping & re-locating, which was, admittedly, better than the first option. ( For people like the American Indian, though, this might bring sad memories to surface, for if they had been treated AS humanely..........; but then, that is perhaps another Story............. ) As the case may be, however; though Wildlife was removed ( forcefully ) from their natural habitat, at least they weren't being hunted & killed "A step in the right direction?!"
Etienne didn't know it, but he was a 'bear'; had ALWAYS been, in fact! No, not physically, but spiritually. From early on, he had been domesticated, much as other forms of 'wildlife' ( speaking of Wolves ). In fact, though the process was similar, it wasn't that he was removed to a 'safer' place, at least not physically; it was a spiritual process, a learning process, like, "bears are dangerous; they'll kill you as soon as look at you!" Bears ARE dangerous ( he KNEW that ), just like any other animal, including the human animal, when they're threatened! "Are they to be feared?" 'Respected' is a better word. But yes, one needs to respect them, not only for their amazing strength & razor sharp claws, but for the fact that they have just as much right as we do, arguably even more, to exist & subsist in their natural habitat!
Etienne learned from an early age that if he wanted to live in this human world, there were certain rules he needed to follow; his wildness had to go: he had to be a good little boy, follow the rules, all the while learning that, "bears are dangerous": learning as well to fear ( "respect"? ) them, possibly even to hunt & kill them, just for being who & what they ARE!
Bears, as all wildlife does, deserve our respect, not just BECAUSE they were here first, but because they're more like us than most people would like to think! Sure; we're human & they're JUST animals, but they just want to exist & subsist. But, just like humanity, when another group of animals treads on what they see as their 'rights', they'll take action to right those wrongs, even if that means eradicating the perceived wrongdoer ( "sound familiar?!" )!
Etienne knew all this & more! He KNEW that bears are our brothers & sisters, our fathers & mothers! We could learn a lot from bears, as from all wildlife, if only we could forget our fear. Yes, we should maintain a very healthy respect for them, just as we should maintain a healthy respect for our fellow human beings. Watch out for those razor sharp claws, yes, but keep in mind that most human beings also have that, or worse!
"Why do we kill bears?" This is an honest question, but I have an answer I'll proffer: we ( human beings ) kill bears for much the same reason as they kill us because they feel threatened! The only difference between our killing & their killing is that, more often than not, we're doing it for all the wrong reasons; "sport" being the most obvious. To be fair, not all hunters are out there for the fun of it; they're just looking to feed their families ( "Wait, that sounds familiar; ALMOST human!" ). Either that, or they're just protecting their families ( property, livestock, etc. ) . But wait; isn't THAT what we humans do?! If we kill a deer, elk, or bear to fill our freezer, we're only exercising our right to feed our family ( as long as we acquire the appropriate licensure, of course, but maybe THAT'S another Story for another day ), but when a bear kills to feed their family, well, "they're killing OUR livestock". ( "This is not, of course, to say that human beings ( farmers & ranchers ) DO NOT have a right to prevent bears or wolves from killing their livestock, but these human beings must realize that the bears, wolves, etc., are only doing what they themselves would do under similar conditions! But; I digress............
Etienne KNOWS that Brother Bear is NOT the Enemy! He KNOWS that Brother Wolf is not the Enemy! No form of Wildlife, for that matter is. For a clear view of the Enemy, Etienne KNEW, all we as human beings need to do is look in the mirror. Bears, Wolves, or any other form of Wildlife are not the ones out there hunting for sport! ( "I mean, seriously, how many animal dens have you seen that sport human heads as trophies? ) Of course, just like the human animal, there probably IS the occasional renegade ( animals have emotions too, right? ), but that is really neither here nor there!
Bears, Wolves & other forms of Wildfire held no fear for Etienne; rather, he DID respect them! They have the same rights as we do, they exist & subsist just like we do & they kill & eat, just like we do. In fact, they understand the Circle of Life BETTER than most human beings, because THEY were not taught that Life is linear: they KNOW by nature that Life is circular in nature; Death for one, plant OR animal, means Life for another. Just like the human animal, the wild ones feel pain at the death of another, even though they know that it's only a part of the circle of life. Most humans, for whatever reason, do not look at Life & Death in this manner, but then, that Story's ALREADY been told, hasn't it?
Namaste' & Blessed Be!
Sage Charles
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