Nature horror (not for the faint of heart)

[Knygathin]

Photos below from the BBC 2024 Mini Series Mammals, episode 2. The New Wild. I found it chilling to watch, seeing how very raw wild nature is. Others might say, "Hey, it's only Nature." But I couldn't help being disturbed by it. The screaming of the rats was not very pleasant to hear either.

This monkey reminds me of an elderly gentleman, mildly wise, quietly reflecting over his daily activities much on the same level an average human does. But he has not gone through the same procedure of hampering cultural decorum; he is vicious. Our closest relatives in Nature, with nearly identical genetic setup as we have.

Here he has caught a big fat rat that lives in the palm tree plantation. This particular rat looks like a female (perhaps with unborn cubs?).

He bites the head off the living rat.

And eats it.

Here is another kind of man-monkey. The main difference is not really a huge gap of intelligence, but that this one practices self-conscious philanthropic activity (although likely also eats meat, that others of his tribe have prepared away from his sight).

Goya for context. Although I find the photos from Nature more nightmarish. Uugh!! Disgusting. I am beginning to agree with Ligotti's pessimistic existential perspective. At least it is partly true.

 

[bendk]

I grew up watching Mutual of Omaha's Wild Kingdom with Marlin Perkins. The thought that this world was created by a benevolent god struck me then, as it does now, as completely ridiculous. In fact, it's obscene. As Bahnsen said "the world is chaos at feast." I was an atheist at a very young age.

 

[Knygathin]

... The thought that this world was created by a benevolent god struck me then, as it does now, as completely ridiculous. ... I was an atheist at a very young age.

I don't believe in a conscious, anthropomorphic father god in heaven either, as it is visualized by the primitive Abrahamic religions.

But as to a spiritual dimension of reality, or of a greater complexity and depth than Newtonian scientific materialism presents, I am convinced, or at least, of agnostic belief. The almost complete lack in Western society of belief in a spiritual dimension, I think is a result of and an aggressive reaction against the church abusing its power over many centuries, acting as a dictatorship; this in combination with The Age of Reason starting and growing in the late 17th century. Our new "religion" has become materialism, and excess over-consumption, which is not a good substitute either. And there is a blind trust in shallow modernity and the latest authorized "scientific" statements. Therein lies not genuine deeper satisfaction.

The study of astronomy, and applied stargazing, is interesting, and a fine way of getting some intellectual perspective on our petty suffering.
The wheel of the Universe keeps rolling, and there is a force in it (divine, or not) working towards arranging the elements from chaos (starting with The Big Bang of the manifested universe?) into greater order and balance - a tension between chaos and order is always part of this evolving process - and duality, as opposed to unity, is ever present in the materially manifested universe; the division and conflict between "mine" and "yours", the fundamental source of pain, suffering, isolation, and horror.

My conviction and experience is that it is possible to relieve some of the pain in this evolving process, by sensitively tuning in and going with the flow of balance and order, avoiding many pitfalls, lures, and more obvious sources of conflict that the less observant obstinately runs head into.

 

[Knygathin]

This species is called drill monkey. They are said to be very friendly. I don't know, I think I would still keep a fair distance, ... .