Thursday, September 3, 2009

"I wonder" ...

... was one of the most oft-repeated phrases in my recent comment to Polimom's post.

I found myself caught up in a kind of reverie, of sorts ... almost a 'what-if' type of thing.


Polimom has evolved into a very fine photographer ... a capturer of nature, as it were. In so doing, she has found herself in the midst of watching (while filming) an insect sucking the very life's blood out of its victim after first paralyzing it - an incident that, if she had not actually been the one capturing it on film, might have been abhorrent to her.


Her most recent post was on the metamorphosis of a caterpillar to a butterfly. My question to her was (actually, there were several questions, and all rhetorical), "Does the caterpillar feel any 'pain', as we (humans) understand the term?" (There were other questions that I had and Polimom answered them as best as she was able. I don't think she had ever even considered such a question or questions! Certainly I had never considered proposing such a question until I suddenly found myself with way too much time on my hands earlier this afternoon!)

What about you? Have you ever considered any of these questions? (Again, see Polimom's post and, in particular, pay attention to the comments section.) Just some food for thought on what might - perhaps - otherwise be a somewhat dull evening.

5 comments:

steven said...

hi goldenrod, birds fly into my windows at school. bam!!! off they fly. now if i were them i'd be comatose on the ground, waiting for someone to come along with a reviving beer, but those guys just keep on flying. ditto for bees, moths, but not kids!!! ha!! see you, steven

Goldenrod said...

I guess what you're trying to tell me is ... only 'people' have brains, thoughts and feelings? Surely not, Steven, surely not!

(You didn't really mean to say or insinuate that, did you???)

Goldenrod said...

Naah! I think you were in a very jolly mood when you made that comment, and had something else in mind entirely! :)

Tammy said...

"Polimom has evolved into a very fine photographer"...I'll have to take your word on it that she has "evolved" simply because I've never seen any of her early photography. Everything I've seen of hers has been stunning, and several photos have been wallpaper for my computer. :)

Craig Peihopa said...

I have on the rare occasion thought about this Goldenrod, but think that by our very construction or make up our skin is far more sensitive than the make up of many animals but i am confident they experience varying degrees of stress and discomfort. I have seen it.

I LOVED polimom's pictures.