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Show THE ZEPHYRJULY 1992 PAGE 12 does not make me a Seeing the logic behind the snake's midday siesta makes me sleepy. No, actually, when I think of people-hate- r. it Mostly just the things I love most in life, a lot of people are right up there near the top of the list. The rest of them well, I really don't know them well enough to hate them. I do confess to an unreasoning love for all those wild things the eagles and grizzlies and coyotes and of course the buzzards. They're easy to love. with their lawn They don't wake me up at 6:30 on Saturday mornings mowers. They don't try to drag me into pointless discussions about religion. alone. I think I can do at They don't ask anything of me. Except to be left least that much for them. After all, they were here first Helpless under the onslaught of new mountainside subdivisions, new oil wells, new roads, they have managed still to maintain their separateness. We humans have driven them into smaller and smaller spaces, forcing them into more and more contact with us. Still, they have not become like us. They don't form committees to figure out the best method of "harvesting" us, although God knows if there has ever been a surplus, humans are it. And in a fair fight, they'd have us. In a fair fight But that's the trouble. Humans have some weird beliefs which they hold dear and will never relinquish. One is that it's OK to destroy something if A) It's in the way B) You don't understand it or C) You are more powerful or have superior weapons. As long as we continue to find that view acceptable, what hope is there? For the animals or the humans? Isn't that the premise upon which wars are fought? And Well, this train of thought can isn't that the ultimate form of people-hating- ? only lead to madness. I turn my attention instead to a raven, watching him soar over a cliff and out of my view. "Live long and raise many little ravens", I tell him. "And stay where you are. Far above us." Later, back at home, watching the news again. It appears that the antienvironment protesters managed to gain and hold George Bush's attention. He returns home from Brazil saying, "Biodiversity? Huh?" A few too many syllables in there for him perhaps? It's a definite setback, you can't argue that He's a powerful man. But there's something more powerful, and it gives me hope. I see it in the eyes of my son as he gently cuddles our fat black cat, as he carefully steps aside to let an ant pass. And in my mind's eye I see it still there as he grows strong and tall, with nice long arms arms that will fit well around a tree. - subjectCherietoGilmore change by I was watching the news the other evening, which is usually a fairly harmless way to spend 30 minutes, and it's always interesting to see what new method George and Dan have come up with for destroying our planet. Alas, it was a slow day in Washington and instead we were shown scenes from a truly bizarre protestrally sit-i- n type thing. From what I could pick up, the participants were concerned that all this attention being given to our environment is taking attention off humans who are, after all, the center of in the universe. They were quite a militant group, burning a effigy and chanting what sounded like, "Death to the spotted owl". There will always be those who choose to dwell within the lunatic fringe, and all you can really hope is that they will go away and possibly seek 1 professional help. So I did the only thing any rational person could do. switched channels. But it stayed in the back of my mind and nibbled at the edges all night. What a very bizarre thought, that because you love the wild and free and things, you are somehow excluded from loving humans. ("Get that woman away from the children! She's a bird lover!") But lately I've begun to notice that this dichotomous view of life has successfully insinuated itself into mainstream America, even unto Moab. I hear disturbing phrases being bandied about, like "people-hatin- g - mini-rainfor- est non-hum- an tree-hugge- r" Which confuses me, for while I do care deeply about our environment, I have never hugged a tree. I once saw someone who appeared to be hugging a tree, but it turned out he was just verifying that it was a Ponderosa, See, they have a vanilla scent to them, whereas other trees which may resemble Ponderosa... well, never mind. What it came down, to was that he was looking for a Christmas tree. So really, while he may at first have seemed to be a people-hate- r, upon closer inspection he was found to be full of good cheer toward people and actually didn't have strong feelings one way or the other toward trees. The people-hatin- g thing though --I don't know. If we environmentalist-type- s were to conform to stereotype, we would never come into contact with people long enough to form any opinion at all about them certainly nothing as strong as hate. We would be on our knees worshipping toadstools, with our backs to the trail, and in such an advanced state of druggedness that we would not hear their inane comments ("So does it all basically look like this?") In reality, however, most of us do interact with people on a fairly basis. Which may be the catalyst that drives us into the extensive, wilderness. Think about it. You don't see a lot of stupid things occurring out there in the natural world. Put aside, for the moment, the embarrassingly obvious forms of stupidity on which humans hold the patent (the wars, the pollution and all that), and think --- When was the last time you saw a snake doing the Slickrock loop at high noon? Right he was under yonder diff, way back in the shade, coiled in a happy sleep, filled with dreams of fat rodents which he would catch later. When the sun went down. - tree-huggi- ng - day-to-d- ay While in Moab you must see: THE CANYON'S EDGE show Spectacular multi-medabout the Colorado Plateau ia 8PM in the theater of the Stuntmen's Hall of Fame 100 North 100 East call 259-61or for details MONDAY-SATURDA- Y 259-77- 50 00 - CANYQNLANDS FIELD INSTITUTE DECORATED MTH ANCIENT AMERICA Pottery by Andrea Winters Decorated Pot AnasaxI symbols around the lower bowl Delicate Vase Hand sttpled artwork on each vase Southwest Indians qf bygone days. THE SHOP 33 North Main 259-86- 23 Pottery Mug Generous size, glazed and Jtred mug. The Shop features many of Moabs local Artisans tW-Ptnr-t v.vww ' v'i- - .. ! . .. r hi rt ntvy |