21st century roadkill

[Guest guest]

21st Century Roadkill

 

By none

 

 

21st Century Roadkill

 

It's not just the animals anymore

 

 

 

It was a rare crystalizing moment when your thinking becomes razor sharp and

forces you to stop what you are doing. During one of my frequent stops on the

rural road I live on in the foothills of the Virginia Blue Ridge, while I paused

to remove yet another dead animal from the hot, unforgiving road surface, I was

seized by a grim 21st Century analogy.

 

Before I go further trying to adequately relate my roadside epiphany, I want to

make a personal declaration for the public record: I will never again refer to

the growing multitude of innocent animals who perish from our current addiction

to automotive transportation as " roadkill " . The term is vulgar and inhumane in

it's callous insensitivity to the suffering and death of so many sentient

beings.

 

My experience in performing this difficult road service (ritual) has helped me

to see these kindred spirits of our natural world in a different way. I've come

to understand that these animals that I drag into the woods (a spiritual deed to

offer a shred of dignity, while also preventing further unnatural death to

scavenger species who inevitably arrive on scene) are only more " collateral

damage " in the ongoing march of techno-industrial " progress " , i.e., western

civilization.

 

I was struck by the idea that the fate of these poor creatures may be the same

as the hundreds of thousands and millions of humans who have gotten and continue

to get in the way of American and European expansion, i.e., " national

interests " , over the course of five merciless centuries.

 

Whether the onslaught has been justified under the mantle of god-sanctioned

" Manifest Destiny " in the post-Columbian 15th century, paving the way on this

continent for 500 years of genocidal extermination of millions of indigenous

native people and species, or as in the present U.S. and western nation imperial

wars and ruthless corporate occupations ( " Free Trade " ) around the globe, to

spread " our way of life " , ie., capitalism, materialism, consumerism, and

evangelical Christianity. This while always conveniently extracting much lusted

after material and human resources (slaves) - presently we're after massive

quantities of the devil's life-blood in the form of oil in Iraq - thus we've

been taught historically that all the violence and death along the way has

simply been necessary and unavoidable. It's just unfortunate " collateral

damage " .

 

This is undeniably pathological. It is mass cognitive dissonance in its worst

manifestation. The accepted notion that our global Trail of Tears left behind by

our metastatic expansion (read " destiny " ) has been a necessary price in creating

a better world, is an absolute sick delusion.

 

As I was dragging this particularly large female raccoon off into the forest (I

couldn't look directly at this one to determine whether it was a nursing mother,

meaning an entire family of raccoons had been instantly wiped out by one

thoughtless speeding driver), my thoughts transcended the metaphoric and verged

on the prophetic.

 

Here in the 21st Century, in the grand scheme of the evolution of life on Earth,

can the argument be made that we can no longer draw a distinction between the

death of a red fox or deer killed by a mindless, lumbering Ford " Explorer " here

on U.S. soil to that of an Iraqi or Afghani civilian killed by an errant

American-made " Hummer " driven by a U.S. soldier in Bagdad?

 

If there is a valid theoretical distinction to be drawn against this dreadful

metaphor I cannot perceive it. The tragedy of all the violence marking our time

has begun to blur all the lines. In acute Orwellian fashion, up has become down.

 

Don't doubt for an instant that I am completely aware of the fact that this

solemn view is apocalyptic. I like to believe that my world view is balanced and

that my feet are planted firmly on the ground in reality. As difficult as it may

be, I prefer to remain living and breathing in the natural world as much as

possible

 

But now, in my 53rd year of life on Earth, I am experiencing very real fear. I

am becoming increasingly afraid for my children, possible grandchildren, and all

the innocent people and animals of the world, and for the well being of Earth

herself. As a citizen, peace and social justice activist, and radical

environmentalist, whatever the titles mean anymore against the pervasive flow of

government propaganda and doublespeak that infects the minds of most Americans,

quite likely a " terrorist " , I am compelled to continue removing these animals

from our roadways, dead or alive, and to work tirelessly against oppression and

war.

 

As I view our world from the holistic, biocentric viewpoint, rather than the

common homocentric (arrogant humanistic) viewpoint, I can think only of the

literal millions of lives being sacrificed in the Orwellian madness of the Bush

wars and upon our cruel, unyielding roadways at home in terms of being an

ecological disaster as well as a human one. They are being sacrificed for the

same reasons; ignorance and addiction to oil.

 

I will continue to stand for them all, believing that it's not at all heretical

to proclaim for the sake of life on Earth we must quickly find the wisdom and

courage to bring an end to violence, war, and material obsession. We must find

our way back to our earthly home, reorient the direction of civilization towards

sustainability, and demand peace and justice for all beings.

 

We have met the enemy. And please, please, slow down for the animals.

 

 

 

 

 

Authors Bio: Glenn Kirk is a social and ecological justice activist, dedicated

anti-hunter, and chronic issue provocateur, ie., op-ed writer.

 

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