Worlds of abundance, magic and splendor where honesty and humility trump ambition, good defeats evil, and everyone lives happily ever after... Yes, I am talking about the world of Fairy Tales we wished to visit as we were once being tucked into our beds.
As scientists set out on yet another expedition to discover the elusive Yeti in Siberia, I wonder have we not outgrown our childhood fantasies.
Thousands of new species are discovered each year, yet it is the lone Yeti, also known as Sasquatch / BigFoot to others, that has captured our collective imagination like no other. Why have we as a society become obsessed with this seemingly reclusive creature?
Why does the name evoke a strong imagery of a hairy creature treading lonely stretches of Himalayas or Siberia? Of a benevolent friend who has helped a lost hiker in need? Or even of a vengeful animal waiting to unleash its fury at first human contact?
We ascribe these creatures with qualities of hate, compassion, revenge and anger that we erstwhile reserved specifically for humans. As we humanize these creatures of the wilderness, are we assuming that they are capable of sophisticated goal-directed behavior needed to avoid detection.
Do I have to worry about an axe wielding Yeti on my ski-trip?
If these bipeds have developed the intelligence and means to survive in the wild, do they represent our brothers and sisters, like Neanderthals, that we have long lost?
As we thank our ancestors for their inter-species mating with the Neanderthal's that underlies our highly functioning immune system, I wonder if and when we discover Yeti, will the village people let Beauty to choose the Beast?
Reading:
http://newsfeed.time.com/2011/10/11/scientists-95-sure-bigfoot-lives-in-russian-tundra/
P.S. Since the blog was written, the claim to find Yeti has been taken back
http://www.ghosttheory.com/2011/10/26/the-russian-connection-scientists-not-95-certain-on-the-yeti
As scientists set out on yet another expedition to discover the elusive Yeti in Siberia, I wonder have we not outgrown our childhood fantasies.
Thousands of new species are discovered each year, yet it is the lone Yeti, also known as Sasquatch / BigFoot to others, that has captured our collective imagination like no other. Why have we as a society become obsessed with this seemingly reclusive creature?
Why does the name evoke a strong imagery of a hairy creature treading lonely stretches of Himalayas or Siberia? Of a benevolent friend who has helped a lost hiker in need? Or even of a vengeful animal waiting to unleash its fury at first human contact?
We ascribe these creatures with qualities of hate, compassion, revenge and anger that we erstwhile reserved specifically for humans. As we humanize these creatures of the wilderness, are we assuming that they are capable of sophisticated goal-directed behavior needed to avoid detection.
Do I have to worry about an axe wielding Yeti on my ski-trip?
If these bipeds have developed the intelligence and means to survive in the wild, do they represent our brothers and sisters, like Neanderthals, that we have long lost?
As we thank our ancestors for their inter-species mating with the Neanderthal's that underlies our highly functioning immune system, I wonder if and when we discover Yeti, will the village people let Beauty to choose the Beast?
Reading:
http://newsfeed.time.com/2011/10/11/scientists-95-sure-bigfoot-lives-in-russian-tundra/
P.S. Since the blog was written, the claim to find Yeti has been taken back
http://www.ghosttheory.com/2011/10/26/the-russian-connection-scientists-not-95-certain-on-the-yeti
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