After watching a beautiful french wildlife documentary on the arctic circle called ‘The White Planet’ it became clear to me how, unlike most humans, animals are able to accept the circle of life and thus live more fully. Watching this mesmeric documentary I pondered the ills of human society and realised our fear of death was one, if not the major cause of our problems today.

 

Hospitals full of frightened people determined to stay alive at whatever cost, at whatever pain. Old people homes full of lonely neglected souls who have become victims of today’s modern medicine and the promise of longer lives. Cinema films and video stores obsessing over what lies beneath the skin; blood, gore, guts and pain - as if watching it will make us familiar with our inevitable fate.

 

At so many levels humans try to cheat death. Yet where does that leave us? In an overcrowded society full of sick and injured who can’t look after themselves. No other animal species supports so many injured as we. We call this compassion and caring but is that really true? Old and sick people are invariably chauffeured off to places where we don’t have to look at them and can almost forget they exist. Then we go to the nearest puppy mill or pet shop and buy ourselves an animal to neglect, confine, bully and abuse and make us feel like we are not quite as alone as we’ve become - in this planet stuffed full of human beings. The rest of our time we live superficial lives through television, films, computer games and internet. How many of us know the names of our neighbours across the hall? How many of us really care?

 

Recently, watching a music video on TV a quote came up at the end of a rap song. I forget who said it but whoever it was should certainly not have been quoted. He (or she) said:

“The most important thing in this world is to stay alive. Don’t ever forget that.”

!!!! What a load of rubbish! What absolute mindless drivel!! The only thing we can be sure of in this life is that we are all going to die - all of us. So while we’re alive we might as well live, huh? And not through somebody else's superficial plastic-perfect life on TV but in our own skin, our own shoes, our own hearts.

 

Oh dear, we really are living a delusion.

 

I can see it.

 

Can you?