….In the case of the perished kea, many grew alarmed. After all there are only about 5000 of them left and they are a cherished, if not pesky creature with their curiousity and propensity to rifle through tourist belongings and maim cars. The boy apologized but this will not bring the bird back to life. In addition, he will serve volunteer time in a conservation related project, to help others since he can’t help the dead.
He has the chance to reconcile his actions which is a great gift I believe for him. So many of us do our worst deeds in secret, as I did those many years ago, or under the cloak of societal institutions or indifference. We don’t know how we might make amends for food derived from living beings, homes and hobbies sucking resources from the environment and the less privledged, and the loss of biodiversity both near and far.
Perhaps we need to have our deeds made more public, such as in the case of the boy and the kea. We could confess our actions. There would be no need to refrain from spilling the beans, for there is none among us who has not committed errors. Given that there are so many, we would have ample support from those around us as we work towards reconciliation. We would find acceptance in who we are as an evolved predator that frequently focuses on self before others, but we do not rest until we have given back more than we have taken. It’s not that we are “wrong,†but our actions were. So we make “right†by offering new actions.
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