The word "zoo" can denote an actual place - a collection of animals for display, or the word can be a state of confusion and disorder where reason does not exist. A widely covered speech by President Donald J. Trump, on March 13, 2020 was when he abruptly became a different person, like the fictional "Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde" The President in his previous persona had dismissed the coronavirus, COVID-19 pandemic as a "hoax" fomented by his many enemies, while the latter spoke like a world leader who accepted a challenging reality. The "last day"is a weekend the day before closing to the public for two weeks, even though unless this virus is miraculously eliminated from the world, it will possibly remain closed for months, even years.
For most people, adults as well as children, a zoo is like a circus for the entertainment of looking at different animals not seen elsewhere. Only at the "last day" did I appreciate this facility as an elaborate museum of the evolution of life on this planet -- every animal being an illustration of our Earth evolving over eons; such a rumination only at this moment when there is the possibility that human life as we know it could be at risk, brought down not by "evil empires" unleashing nuclear Armageddon but something different. Those with a scientific-atheist bent are amazed by the process, as they search for a way to defeat it. . For others, it is confirmation of action by a higher being, "God" in his many forms and incarnations-- such beliefs historically having resulted in wars, hatred and carnage.
For the first time in my many visits to this zoo, I looked at every animal through a different lens, some consigned to isolation without a mate; while other such as the amazing pink flamingos living in masses where the choreographing of their ballets have meaning that is still undecipherable to scholars who spend their careers in the attempt. Just as we humans, at times are individuals, we often often move in unison as the most disciplined Company of Marines or performers in a Busby Berkley film of the 1930s, We know how and why the Marines and the dancers do what they do, or why masses of others humans marched in unison to a more dire fate, yet the "how" and "why" of the same chorus of these birds is unknown.
There is another aspect of this "last day" at the zoo, which is my feeling towards the animals in cages had similarities with that of human visitors. With nothing to lose I started up dozens of conversations, that, in reaction to my own mood, were engaged by every single person. It could have been started by a smile and quip, or something more detailed like engaging a man from Australia on the culture of the aborigines who still are living the lives of those ancestors who were there forty millennia ago, with no connection to other cultures.
One bird had no companion at all, with the odd species name of "Secretary bird" These birds are a smaller version of the same extinct creature of which there was a sculpture only, large enough to have killed a human being the same way the living descendant can stomp to death a snake. I was fascinated by the living bird, as it was stamping to death an insect to eat, but if it were in the wild in it's natural environment it would be small bird or snake, so it could procreate and continue to survive -- perhaps for millions more years -- or until anthropogenic climate change or nuclear Armigedian intervenes. Such a creature, if never seen could certainly be depicted as the fruit of a Dr. Seuss' fantastic imagination, But only the ceramic model of it's ancestor is a human-created artifact, the actual bird is alive, stomping for food and walking his cage alone.
Having a last day at the Zoo, (actually spread over two days) was in anticipation of a civilizational catastrophe- either from COVID-19 or the over-reaction that disrupts the human interactions that have become integral to cultures everywhere. The warning of a type of sequestering, "social distancing" meaning not coming closer than six feet from another person. No one at the zoo, except two Asian out of the many thousands, wore face masks. I connected with people on a different level, one that resonated best with children who were just beginning to walk and talk. I put on my invisible bright red volunteer shirt that indicated I could be trusted as an official of the complex, and often just offered to help those who couldn't find their way in the byzantine maze of trails. When a grown up, especially men (in the olden days) can't find his way when studying a map, there is a sense of anger, despair and failure, a tiny dose of a destructive self image that is intolerable.
One man, whose cap read, "Viet Nam Veteran," had experienced this with his wife as they were studying the map. A few minutes later he was sitting by himself . His wife had gone on alone and after a minute or two of talking about how confusing it was to get around the zoo as I got up to leave he said, " I really appreciate your taking the time to talk to me." I knew exactly how he felt, how we all feel when the challenges of the world, whether making a living, or helping one's kids, or getting lost in the woods, life is not working, and at least there is someone who commiserates, understands -- asking nothing in return.
As the long day was closing that very well could mark the end of an era, a certainty for those who do not survive the pandemic, there was one interaction with a middle age couple that would not have happened in another time and place. They were an educated couple, introducing themselves as Ann and Ralph, with a slight accent, a decade or two younger than me. They were friendly and on the same intellectual wave length, our common antipathy towards Trump leavened by our agreement that he reflects tensions that predate him. My recounting as metaphor of him, how a supersaturated solution (reflecting stresses of society) congeals by adding a particle precipitant, a small crystal of solute (a single charismatic leader) was completed by Ralph. We began to talk about our lives and experiences. Ann brought up how we Jews faced discrimination, only a half century ago not being allowed to reside in some local neighborhoods. I affirmed this, but made the point that as a result of the rejection by the larger community, there is enhanced cohesion, a sense of belonging among other Jews.
With the announcement of closing, we started strolling to the exit. I continued our discussion, illustrating my point that the name for the human species, "homo sapiens" really should be demoted, as "sapien", meaning wise, entails a process of investigating and discovery "the scientific method" which is actually quite rare among we humans. I started to give an example, describing how Israel has no compunction to kill masses of Muslims in Gaza ....... At that point Ralph spun around, and confrontationally said, "I'm Israeli, and I'm not taking any of this shit that we are ruthless murderers........ " I tried to calm him down by finishing my example, but he had already reached his conclusion that I was one of the Israel haters, whmo he is not about to even talk to.
I thought about speaking louder, talking over him, explaining that the next sentence was to be......"and the Muslims in Gaza have no compassion towards the Israelis they kill or maim with their missiles." But I was not going plead that he hear me out. I simply waved them on as they sped up to walk away from me. I was hurt, yet also the exchange was a confirmation of what conversation has descended to. Among certain sects of Christians the phrase is "Get behind me Devil" meaning I will not even listen to your deceiving words. Experiencing a variation of this from the mouth of my fellow Jew with a PhD, after getting over the hurt of their rejection, turned out to be confirmation of my new understanding of our species. Yet the hurt lingers, as the intellectual confirmation does not begin to compensate for the destruction of this half hour long "friendship"
Postscript: Now, it's four days after the starting this essay -- the referenced Trump speech is ancient history. The "Two week" closure of the Zoo, has now officially been revised to last many months. The day after I started this essay the elderly (never precisely defined) were instructed/mandated by local governments to "shelter in place" meaning to stay at home- as if everyone had a home rather than a tarp to cover them at night. It also struck a chord with the restrictions after Kristalnacht, the beginning of the end for Jews in Nazi controlled Europe.
I got stuck trying to find a way to close out my essay, and could not seem to do it outside of a scholarly tome on evolution of species and the physical planet's vulnerability to destruction, such as the meteor that caused mass extinctions illustrated by multiple exhibits that were not as much fun as watching the animals. Knowing this could be my last visit ever to the zoo, I wanted to share what I had missed for so many years, going beyond this zoo as a circus, but what these caged animals,tell us about the commonality with their extinct forebears, and their close cousin who are entertained by them outside of the cages.
My Cousin, Martin Rodbell happened to write a poem to close out his Nobel Prize lecture in Stockholm earned for discovery of the G-protein, that ironically is a step in the possible defeat of the current pandemic. It expresses what I had been struggling to convey. I personally included it on his Wikipedia site, at the end under the heading, " Rodbell's Personal Philosophy of Science" and have prevented its removal, as poems are not usually a part of a scientist's biography. I will take the liberty of putting in italics words that put the current pandemic and economic collapse in the context of the unimaginable scope of time and extent of our universe.
To which I simply add, "Amen"
To my Friends:Thoughts from “On High” By Martin Rodbell
Life on a roller coaster, oscillating from hither to yon, no respite for the iconoclast, wandering from dusk to dawn. Conjuring strange thoughts foreign and twice forbidden, like Prometheus unbound, this Nobelist climbs in vain to Andean peaks, seeking what most would proclaim insane.
Why, he ponders, are there no answers to protean questions when others thinking cleanly and simply with Occam’s sharp razor proclaim what seems obvious given the beam of their unerring laser. Nature, happily unfettered with philosophy, or with cunning, or with intent moves relentlessly onward or even backward with energy unspent while we mortals test and probe with twinkling machines blinking precisely at each movement, striving to unravel its irresolute randomness, its fathomless, unlimited, meaningless rush into spiraling chaos, oblivious of its multitudinous trials & errors which we pontifically believe must be unerring truth & resolution.
The laugh is on those who, burdened with pretensions of truth, believe they can fathom within 15 minutes of human existence what has transpired over eons of space and time in this Universe . So, I extol the intuitions encapsulated in the folds of my mind from whence occasionally they hurtle to the forebrain and in a twinkling of a proton’s discharge bring to fruition a thought, an idea borne on the feathery appendages of teeming neurons wedded in a seamless synergy.
Those fleeting moments are cherished as are those precious impulses imparted by the innumerable individuals who nurtured and instilled unknowingly their encrypted thoughts in mine. So, with these fanciful thoughts in mind I give praise to you - my friends, my colleagues, my soul-mates, my loved ones - for letting my soul and thoughts meander hither and yonder in this attempt at philosophy and poetry. We now belong to the Gods on high who praise us for our frailties and our achievements.
I love getting hearing your thoughts and think it's all brilliant. Martin would be proud I do believe. The "Last Day at the Zoo" could be a book title. Thanks!
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