Yosemite National Park in California is a spectacular valley of natural wonder and wildlife. First protected in 1864, the nearly 1,200 square miles are covered with waterfalls, deep valleys, ancient sequoias, and vast wilderness. With black bears, coyotes, bobcats, and big horn sheep, the park is full of wildlife. However, according to a ranger when I was there several years ago, the most dangerous animal in the park, the one with the most injuries to humans, is surprisingly the deer. Yes, the gentle deer.
Park visitors see the deer, and the images of Bambi and the gentle deer pop into their minds. They want to commune with this animal, the cute and sweet animal. They forget an essential fact: these deer are wild animals. People have been gored by deer as they try to get close to them, take pictures, or even try to pet them. Like any animal (or even person), the gentle deer is not always gentle when it feels threatened.
As humans, we are our own worst enemy. Our preconceived notions can convince us that something is safe even if we have never experienced it in real life. Separating fact from fiction is a difficult challenge when we lack the proper information. However, while “cartoons” and “television and movie personas” are often based on reality, they are not the reality. Just as my Facebook persona, is not the real me. Most people understand that a wild bear is not a cute stuffed “Teddy Bear,” but the problem is that “we do not know what we do not know.” For those growing up in the city, there is very little exposure to wild animals.
Keep your mind open
- Keep yourself informed.
- Re-evaluate your “hidden” assumptions when they appear.
- Be open to new conflicting information as just another possibility.
- Distinguish facts from feelings, opinions, judgments, and wants.
- Make informed choices.
Living the Present Moment means Living in Reality.
