You know why we identify as Silverbacks and live in our imaginary jungle? Because Silverbacks are better than humans, and the jungle is a better place to be than so-called civilization.
Virunga National Park is a UNESCO World Heritage site in the Albertine Rift Valley in the eastern part of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. It was created in 1925 and is among the first protected areas in Africa. In elevation, it ranges from 680 m in the Semliki River valley to 5,109 m in the Rwenzori Mountains. It is also home to approximately one-third of the planets remaining mountain gorillas.
Virunga is also the title of a documentary film made in 2014 and available on Netflix. It is an alternately inspiring and heartbreaking account of the park rangers who risk their lives to protect this beautiful place and the creatures who live there from the poachers, greedy conglomerates, and corrupt local officials think that the park’s natural resources are there for their personal financial benefit.
Last Sunday six park rangers were killed in an ambush set by poachers.
You may not want to subject yourself to an hour and forty minutes of emotional roller coaster at this time. I get it. Watching Virunga is like watching the evening news. You find yourself shaking your head in disbelief that a single species, homo sapiens, can simultaneously be capable of such good and such evil.
Thanks for passing along; will view eventually. Lots to think about.
A friend echoed the observations of some, “Animals are actually better than humans, because animals don’t act like assholes.”
A very interesting, thought provoking and influential book = The Naked Ape by Desmond Morris…
Are we the descendants of the apes who for one reason or another came down from the trees and started walking around on the ground and kept on doing so? That would really piss off many “Creationists” and White Supremacists who would just hate the likely truth that human life originated from apes in Africa who evolved into Black humans who spread out around the globe, devolving into the rest of us…who eventually devalued and persecuted their forebears.
Wisdom from Ghandi- “What do I think of Western civilization? I think it would be a very good idea.”
Some musings from Mike
*Naked Ape *was a very significant influence on me, along with *African Genesis *and *The Social Contract.* We are animals and we have to better understand our behaviors in this context. In a nutshell, that’s what being a Silverback and living in our modern Jungle is all about. A big double-thump and Oo-oo to SBs Mike and Cyndy. SB SM
On Sun, Jan 24, 2021 at 2:37 PM The Silverback Digest wrote:
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