With Respect for All Life
An Editorial

By Jennifer Bratton

(Page 3 of 4)

Parent described such an experience with his family. “One time, I was about to kill something. It looked at me and I looked at it, and there was that feeling that it wasn’t right anymore. That is what it started from. Then, over a period of time, hunting wasn’t kosher anymore. My family stopped too, not immediately; it was a gradual shift away. It was like my changing changed them, but I didn’t change for that purpose.” Parent now finds that social aspect and enjoyment of nature in hiking with friends and working outdoors.

On that same note, an economy based on the injury of another life form can never flourish and prosper. The money generated can never bring happiness or comfort. The National Geographic article also talked about the small town of Gardiner, Montana, which is located at the northern entrance to Yellowstone National Park. The area around the town is the winter habitat of Yellowstone’s elk herd, and the town’s winter economy relies upon elk hunters spending money in the community.

The article talked about how Gardiner has suffered as the number of hunters dwindled in conjunction with the diminishing elk herd. In the early 1990’s, there were about 19,000 elk, but by 2006, the population was down to approximately 9,000. Many people in Gardiner attribute this sharp decline to the reintroduction of wolves to Yellowstone Park, whose current wolf population is around 380, up from the 41 that were initially introduced. There has now been a proposal to take wolves off the endangered species list in Montana and Idaho. Then, the wolves could be hunted outside of the park. Some people think this would bring the elk population back up, which would allow for more elk hunting. This all seems like a good solution for Gardiner—both wolf and elk hunters bringing income into the town.

However, it is illogical that an economy based on the injury of another sentient life form is ever going to blossom or stay healthy, because what it is based on is an aberration. Its roots are damaged, and just as a tree cannot grow with damaged roots, Gardiner’s economy can never truly thrive as long as it is dependent on the killing of other sentient life. The only logical way to obtain prosperity is to have a livelihood that serves the whole, which does not include killing or harming other sentient life, one in which prosperity is not limited to just financial wealth, but also encompasses abundance in all areas of life. However, such prosperity cannot come about as long as people approach it from the stance of self. How will this help me, my family, my community? Instead, as the Wisdom Master has said, One acts for the good of the whole with no thought of self, and because one is part of the whole, they are naturally served as well, which is the logical stance.

The article also discusses the interdependence of hunters and the US Fish and Wildlife Service. Besides generating revenue for the USFWS, hunters are involved in data collection, which assists the USFWS in monitoring different species’ population. For example, scientists study the wings of different birds to discover how each group is surviving. According to the article, “all the wings provided…come from hunters, who fold them into prepaid envelopes, record the date and place of the harvest, and mail them in.” The article goes on to assert that such activity “is but one example of how the nation’s 12.5 million hunters have become essential partners in wildlife management,” [and as a result,] many species might not survive at all were it not for the hunters trying to kill them.”

Such a statement is illogical, and a bit arrogant to assume that animals would not be able to survive if humans were not monitoring them. Granted, with the growth in the human population and the spread of urbanization, there is a threat to certain species’ habitats and lives. But, if people approached the situation from a stance of respect for all sentient life, then humans wouldn’t have a false idea that other sentient life forms were inferior, and therefore, wouldn’t feel entitled to destroy other animals’ habitats for their own ends. Instead, people would do their best to live in harmony with the environment, to be caretakers, and at the same time, realize that everything is impermanent.

Parent, who was trained in forestry, said, “During our training, we took a fish and wildlife course. A lot of it was justifying why humans have to control the environment for various reasons. But, as I get first-hand experience myself, I realize that that isn’t true.... Perhaps man’s interference with trying to control nature is what is causing the problems.”
 

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