Present Perceptions

In a delightful book titled The Dharma of Dogs, Andrew Holocek writes about his relationship with his dog—giving several examples of how his dog, in sort of a human-dog turnabout, is often his teacher. Many people have described the special relationship they have with their dogs over the years. I have done so several times on this blog. Dogs have a unique way of seemingly mind-melding with humans. We two different mammalian species have been bosom buddies for tens of thousands of years.

Holocek describes how a dog's world is a “highly sensual one, and our senses only operate in the present. I can't smell the future or see the past. I can't taste the future or hear the past. My senses are forever nailed to the present moment.” I had never thought about my senses in this way—that they operate completely in the present moment. When I see something, it's caused by photons of light impinging upon my eyes... right now. Yesterday's photons are long gone. When I touch a fine piece of wood, the sensation it causes is right now. My sense of touch cannot lean into the future.

Given that a dog relies heavily on its senses—especially its sense of smell—it very much lives in the present. It is responding right now to the sounds and smells of its world. When we humans are in the company of our canine friend—say when our minds are lost in the past or are thrusting into the future—responding to our dog can bring us back to the present. I can't remember how many times I've been strolling through the woods with my dog—my mind fussing over yesterday's events—when his sudden dash into the underbrush yanks me back into the now. Am I out here in nature to fret over yesterday's lost opportunities, or to find rejuvenation in its beauty? Thanks, my puppy friend.

Buddhist teachings add a sixth sense to our commonly accepted five (sight, sound, smell, touch, taste): the mind. I've always liked this concept. All five “normal” senses send electrical signals to the brain, which then does a lot of processing on them, so as to interpret what those signals mean. The workings of the brain are what constitutes the mind. We need the mind to tell us what's going on around us; to interpret, process, and correlate those signals. An important part of that interpretation is also to bring memory (the past) into the process; as well as to ponder where all this may be heading (in the future).

The human mind is far more sophisticated than a dog's mind. That's what makes us so powerful. But there's a disadvantage to all this mental capability: we tend to spend an inordinate amount of time pondering the past and fretting over the future. It causes us to lose a lot of what's happening right now.

So a dog—whose mind is less developed or dominant—lives in a “highly sensual” world. It is far more likely to respond to the immediate sights, smells, and sounds of its environment than we are. And if we are in the company of our dog, it might just pull us back into the present moment—into a world that is, in many ways, more real than either yesterday or tomorrow. Thanks, my puppy friend.

Praying Mantis

I caught this female mantis looking at me with suspicion or maybe fear. Why? Because the second photo shows her full of eggs. She did not have to worry about me, as I welcome her babies and their preying on other insects that are pests. (Shouldn't they be called "preying" mantis, rather than "praying?") Click to enlarge.

Tool Mistreatment

Tools have been of tremendous benefit to humans. From the early use of stone tools (dating back millions of years... even before humans arrived on the scene) to the latest artificial intelligence (AI) machines, tools have enabled us to extend our senses and multiply our physical capabilities far beyond what nature gave us. Those first stone tools brought our ancestors powerful new ways to smash nuts to get at their interior, to cut up meat, to clean animal hides for clothing, and even to fashion other tools.

When those ancestors subsequently learned how to make metal tools, their capabilities dramatically expanded. The later invention of telescopes and microscopes extended our visual capacity out to the stars and into the interior of biological cells. The list is limitless. It extends all the way to today's computers that bring us almost unimaginably powerful capabilities—possibly the most impressive of which is AI.

Human culture would likely have remained on a par with chimpanzees, had we not been able to create this increasingly complex and powerful lineage of tools. A fascinating question that is often posed is how our big brain and our fantastic tools are causally connected. Can we attribute the evolution of our wonderful tools to our capacious cranium, or did our increasingly sophisticated tools demand a bigger brain to use them? It's sort of a chicken-and-egg conundrum. Whatever the answer, modern humans certainly depend on and benefit from our many kinds of tools.

Tools are a form of technology. The definition of a tool is traditionally considered to be a hand-held device, used for a specific type of occupation. In contrast, our modern tools are usually thought of as a form of technology—a word that generally describes machinery or equipment developed from or for scientific purposes. With these definitions, we can see that those primitive hand-held tools gradually morphed into various forms of technology. (Interestingly, the root of the word technology is the Greek word tekhnologle, which means “the systematic creation from art and/or craft.” This craft process seems to me to be exactly how the early stone tools came about.)

Unfortunately, tools and technology have also had a dark side—from the first stone hammer to the latest AI machine. Tools seem to have invited mistreatment from their very beginnings. The same rock that was used to crack a nut also soon got used to crack a human skull. Sharp flaked stone tools that allowed our ancestors to cut up a gazelle also got used as a weapon to cut up other humans. Those primitive metal knives cut meat better than stone, but soon saw use in warfare. And so it went, throughout our evolution.

A current mistreatment of a high-tech tool that billions of people have enjoyed using—Facebook—is causing all kinds of trouble for many people. Facebook is valued for its ability to keep people in instant and handy touch with each other, but there's a dark side to its use that is emerging. Commercial interests use big data algorithms to determine intimate behaviors of Facebook users and then entice them to buy billions of dollars worth of stuff they otherwise would not have bought—without those targeted ads.

Multinational actors use the same intimate data to manipulate people's behaviors through the use of fake news and other biased misinformation. Facebook, Google, Amazon, and other online businesses all exploit the power of AI—ostensibly to offer us convenience, but also to amass huge amounts of money by swaying our choices. And of course, many technologists today worry about the future dangers of AI robots—which some fear will either eliminate many current forms of employment or even enslave their creators, us humans.

I am not equipped to explain why it is that Homo sapiens is such a brilliant creator of so many wonderful tools that make our lives so pleasant, but then also get used as one form of weapon or another—weapons which make so many lives miserable, or even terminate them. Philosophers and pious people have pondered and debated that issue for millennia. They have offered many diverse explanations—and most of those explanations clash with each other.

Whatever the cause of human behavior that leads us to mistreat our tools, there certainly are countless examples of how we've perpetually done it. One factor is that we seem to be suckers for the latest technology. Show me a new, convenient and efficacious tool, and I'll want one. Tell me about an attractive technology that's about to be offered, I'll want one. Our initial intentions are rarely wicked; we simply focus on the advantages, and thus we enthusiastically pursue the new tool.

But sooner—rather than later—it seems that someone will find a way to mistreat the new tool; even if they don't deliberately do so. Is it greed? Laziness? Merciless competition? Seeking power over others? Or is it largely due to the fact that we just move too fast, and can't seem to pause and exercise a little precaution? I suppose it's all of these and more.

Yes, tool mistreatment is an ancient bad habit of humans. It's caused untold suffering. And it doesn't appear that we are in the process of reining ourselves in. The scary part is the fact that our tools have become so powerful that their misuse can do damage beyond our control.

Computer Bug

While typing one night, this guy crawled across my computer. I have no idea what it is. It was less than one-quarter inch (about half a centimeter) long. The top photo shows his eye better and the bottom photo shows his body better. Click to enlarge.

Coping With Copperheads—Part 2

So, might we find a way to allow and encourage snakes to assume the duties we once assigned to cats? If we had no cat, I believe resident snakes would be thankful, because cats perceive snakes to be an enemy. I've watched our cats harass a snake and even kill baby snakes. This animosity makes some sense, given that cats and snakes prey upon many of the same critters. They are in competition and the natural instinct is to eliminate your rival.

Most of our snakes are harmless to humans. We have black racers, milk snakes, ring snakes, garter snakes, etc. But there is one species that puts fear into the hearts of humans in these parts: the copperhead. It's poisonous. It's venom is potent. Most of our neighbors who've lived here all their lives regard copperheads as “nasty,” and will quickly kill one with no remorse at all. I have seen a few of them around here over the years, and have quickly retreated, when I spot one. They can be aggressive and appear very threatening. They know that they possess a potent weapon.

So, if we choose to forgo getting another cat, while hoping that snakes will do the job we need done, what do we do about those copperheads? Is it ethical to encourage the presence of black snakes, while attempting to eradicate a copperhead? Can we learn to cope with copperheads?

In an attempt to answer some of these questions, I once again turned to the vast resources of the internet. The copperhead's scientific name is Agkistrodon contortrix. It is a pit viper (like its more formidable cousin the rattlesnake), which means that it has two heat-sensing pits located between its eyes and its nostrils. I love its alternative names: chunkhead, dry-land moccasin, highland moccasin, pilot snake, red snake, and death adder. (Yikes to that last one!) They inhabit rock outcroppings, wood piles, and compost piles. That last place is where I consistently see one. When I go to turn the compost piles and throw back the tarp covering them, I very often bring to the light of day a copperhead sitting imperiously atop the pile, disturbed that I have blown its cover, and daring me to advance. I then proceed to delicately shoo it away, to let me continue my work.

Copperheads are one of the few snake species that give birth (in late summer) to live babies, rather than deposit eggs that later hatch. The mother incubates the eggs inside her body and then releases up to 14 squiggly babies—each one some 8-10 inches (20-25 cm) long. They are mostly nocturnal—preferring to lay around during the day and hunt at night. That helps to make encounters rare, as we humans tend to be active in the day and lay around at night.

Unlike rattlesnakes, copperhead bites are typically not fatal. In fact, the bigger problem, if you get bit, is that their venom can cause local tissue destruction, where secondary infection can set in. The greatest number of snake bites in the US is from copperheads. That said, one of these snakes would prefer to escape, when it encounters a human. It is only when they feel cornered that they will strike out. So there's no need for me to regard a copperhead as a perennial enemy—only if I blunder upon one, unmindfully. And mindfulness is an attribute that I have learned goes a long way toward making one's life in the woods safer and more enjoyable.

So, if copperhead snakes behave themselves—or, rather, if we stay mindful and don't stumble heedlessly into their habitat—and we can encourage other harmless snakes to proliferate, will our serpent friends fulfill the function of our past cats? The serpents come at no financial cost, are natural inhabitants around here, and already may be in balance with other critters. Time will tell. We will hold off on acquiring another cat and see how this experiment plays out. Maybe I could even learn to welcome a snake cuddling up on my lap.

Copperhead Snake

Two views of the copperhead on the compost pile. Click to enlarge.

Coping With Copperheads—Part 1

In a previous blog (“Failing Feline,” posted on 8 August) I reported that our aging cat died recently. As he was slowly wasting away, we discussed how and when to find another feline to replace him. For all of our more than three decades of life here in the woods we've had a cat, for a couple of reasons: First, I like a cat that curls up on my lap, forming itself into a warm, fuzzy ball, especially on cold winter nights. Second, a cat can be a useful control on rabbits and rodents. Our garden has been partially protected by resident cats over the years.

But to be honest, cats also have a couple of disadvantages for us. The biggest problem is their propensity to kill songbirds. We've done our best to discourage their predatory action against our feathered friends (primarily by keeping our cat indoors during the day), but we still lose half a dozen birds each year. Another problem is expense. Veterinary bills can get very pricey these days—especially if you spay or neuter the cat, or if you have the bad luck of acquiring one whose genes promote various diseases.

Then there's the issue of acclimating and training a new cat to be a good citizen in the household. That's another factor that we have little control over, when we acquire a cat. Will it be a good mouser? Will it ignore mice and go after birds? Will it care at all to curl up in my lap? Cats for us are not mere cute pets. They have a job to do—just as any member of the family does. To what extent would a new cat fulfill its duties?

As I pondered the question, I began to wonder if we really needed a cat. What if a new cat scorned all these duties? There goes a primary reason for having one. We might incur several cat-related expenses for nothing.

So, is there an alternative? It occurred to me, as I thought about it, that snakes provide many of the same services that a cat does. Snakes prey on rodents and large insects like caterpillars, as well as birds. Oh oh to that last one! Overall, it seems that snakes can offer many of the same benefits that cats do; and they come with no vet bills or commercial food to buy. Furthermore, they are a natural resident of the area. In that sense cats (as well as we humans) are an invasive species!

Hmmm... could snakes do the job (for free) that cats have done for us in the past? During our first few years here, I possessed the typical human animosity towards snakes. We humans have a deep evolutionary repulsion of snakes. The book of Genesis biases many us, by blaming the snake for our eviction from the Garden of Eden. That predilection is most likely inherited from even more distant ancestors of ours.

Furthermore, it's hard not to flinch when we humans spot a snake. They seem to be the essence of a threat. They slither. It almost makes one's skin crawl to observe that sneaky slink. And only the most foolish or brave person would dare to touch a snake! In short, an undulating serpent appears revolting.

Or so I thought, for many years. Gradually, however, I've come to accept—and even appreciate—snakes. I've never had one attempt to lure me into evil, by talking me into biting into an apple. I've never had one bite me—let alone even really threaten me. Over the years I've learned to understand where a snake might be residing, and thus not to blunder into its territory. (In a similar vein I've learned the habits of stinging wasps and bees, and how to avoid invading their space.) In many ways, life out here has been a series of lessons of how to share space with creatures that I once deemed pests and could only imagine them as foes. I may not have yet come to see them as cuddly buddies, but I can appreciate how they fulfill a role in this small ecosystem.

More on snakes next time...

Woodpecker Work

Here are some examples of some serious woodpecker work, making nests in a pine tree. Click to enlarge.