Sunday 1 October 2017
Baruna and Kumar are ready for Prana Pratistha
Baruna and Kumar are ready. That is to say, Ketut Lunas has brought them into this world. He must surely feel as Michelangelo did when he looked up at that ceiling on the 15th. of August 1483, the day of it's consecration:
Their murti is still a formless image and has no divine presence in the eyes of the other gods. For it to be accepted into the pantheon by the gods their eyes will be opened for the first time in a small ceremony on this beach in Nusa Panida, under the watchful eye of Agung:
Then Baruna and Kumar will sail to Tanah Lot, the home of Baruna. They will ascend these stair, the last point on earth that they will touch before they take their rightful place among the stars. Then and only then will Baruna and Kumar journey to the heavens as free spirits to serve humanity.
Their murti is still a formless image and has no divine presence in the eyes of the other gods. For it to be accepted into the pantheon by the gods their eyes will be opened for the first time in a small ceremony on this beach in Nusa Panida, under the watchful eye of Agung:
Then Baruna and Kumar will sail to Tanah Lot, the home of Baruna. They will ascend these stair, the last point on earth that they will touch before they take their rightful place among the stars. Then and only then will Baruna and Kumar journey to the heavens as free spirits to serve humanity.
Friday 29 September 2017
Thursday 28 September 2017
Anchor Wreck, Menjangan, Bali: Dive 1: Preliminary Survey
This is the first survey dive at Anchor Wreck in Bali, intended to be a preliminary survey to confirm the most visible features on the site. This dive is also to validate the depths of the prominent architectural features and objects for which the site is known:
Architectural features:
- Top and bottom anchors
- Bow
- Bowsprit
- Bulwarks
Objects:
- Copper sheeting for ship hull copperization
- Glass and ceramic bottles
- Brass nails
The preliminary survey validated the following map:
Sunday 24 September 2017
Ketut Lunas summons Kurma
The names Leonardo, Michelangelo and Raphael have a very different meaning to an artist than they do to the very young. Interesting though the names may be, it is the Turtle mutation that Ketut Lunas has turned our gaze to:
In some ancient cultures, Cheyenne and Maheo to name but two, the Turtle is a metaphor for that which holds the world in balance in the cosmos. To others, the Turtle represents the way to immortality, the shell being merely a temporary home for the physical self on the soul's arduous journey to Nirvana. To the Nigerians, Turtles represent the wisdom of the ancient ones, highly respected for their strength, endurance, stability and individuality; to whom lesser beings turn to seek protection. To other's the Turtle represents order and creativity. To the Mayans the Turtle spawned a path to the stars from it's back.
In Sufism, the hatching and instinctive return to the sea of baby turtles is symbolic of a return to divinity. Taoists venerate the Turtle for it's longevity. In the Epic of Gilgamesh, the Mesopotamian god Ea planned to create human beings from a formless lump of Bentonite. Foreseeing their disobedience Ea sought to knead a Turtles from the same gobbet to control Sintering humanity.
Before interpreting the sublime, there was a technical challenge to be addressed. To control the balance and stability of a work, most sculptors tend to add smaller allegorical figures at the base of their work. Doing so however, even in the hands of competent sculptor, causes the figure to remain motionless as though suspended in the moment. In the hands of a maladroit, the work will predictably end in a meaningless, shapeless block at the bottom of the work, merely to keep the work from falling over. In either case, the bottom of the sculpture risks drawing attention away from the protagonist. Ketut Lunas has however exceeded this technical limitation by going in a characteristically opposite direction.
With so much cultural expectation weighing on his shoulders Ketut Lunas had much to contemplate before he began to reveal what is to be the base of the sculpture. Without compromising on the technical aspects of balance and stability he has not misinterpreted the allegorical relationship between Baruna and the Turtle. He has remained true to its religious meaning. By placing Baruna on a Turtle, he has suggested that the work is not suspended in, nor is it bound or defined by, the moment. Baruna is free to move about the cosmos, just as the divine have earned their right to do so.
Go forth therefore Kurma, Vishnu has summoned thee.
In some ancient cultures, Cheyenne and Maheo to name but two, the Turtle is a metaphor for that which holds the world in balance in the cosmos. To others, the Turtle represents the way to immortality, the shell being merely a temporary home for the physical self on the soul's arduous journey to Nirvana. To the Nigerians, Turtles represent the wisdom of the ancient ones, highly respected for their strength, endurance, stability and individuality; to whom lesser beings turn to seek protection. To other's the Turtle represents order and creativity. To the Mayans the Turtle spawned a path to the stars from it's back.
In Sufism, the hatching and instinctive return to the sea of baby turtles is symbolic of a return to divinity. Taoists venerate the Turtle for it's longevity. In the Epic of Gilgamesh, the Mesopotamian god Ea planned to create human beings from a formless lump of Bentonite. Foreseeing their disobedience Ea sought to knead a Turtles from the same gobbet to control Sintering humanity.
Before interpreting the sublime, there was a technical challenge to be addressed. To control the balance and stability of a work, most sculptors tend to add smaller allegorical figures at the base of their work. Doing so however, even in the hands of competent sculptor, causes the figure to remain motionless as though suspended in the moment. In the hands of a maladroit, the work will predictably end in a meaningless, shapeless block at the bottom of the work, merely to keep the work from falling over. In either case, the bottom of the sculpture risks drawing attention away from the protagonist. Ketut Lunas has however exceeded this technical limitation by going in a characteristically opposite direction.
With so much cultural expectation weighing on his shoulders Ketut Lunas had much to contemplate before he began to reveal what is to be the base of the sculpture. Without compromising on the technical aspects of balance and stability he has not misinterpreted the allegorical relationship between Baruna and the Turtle. He has remained true to its religious meaning. By placing Baruna on a Turtle, he has suggested that the work is not suspended in, nor is it bound or defined by, the moment. Baruna is free to move about the cosmos, just as the divine have earned their right to do so.
Go forth therefore Kurma, Vishnu has summoned thee.
Friday 22 September 2017
Matur suksma Ketut Lunas
When you have had time to slow things down and you have left the fast bikes, the fast cars, glistening rice fields, bellowing volcanoes and yes, even the "big blue" behind you, you begin to notice the macro world that speak of a life that really matters. Although creativity is as abundant as there are Balinese on the island, there is paradoxically no Balinese word for artist. Art therefor exists for it's own sake and will be produced whether or not there is a demand for it because it is a way of life.
A few months ago on a visit to Nusa Panida to attend the blessing of a friend's house, I found myself sitting in a banjar, hiding in the night's silence after being comprehensively defeated in chess by someone half my age. My only consolation was that my opponent turned out to be a regional chess champion. Above the chirp of a very confused cicada, presumably complaining about the light of the full moon, I could distinctly hear the measured sounds of a chisel and hammer tapping on wood coming from the house behind us. Looking in the direction of the sound, just over a stone wall I could see the light of a single fluorescent bulb illuminating what I was later to learn was the artist Ketut Lunas's studio. Imagining the rhythmical sound of an orchestra of chisels slicing through the Bianco Carrara in Lunigiana on which Michelangelo was weaned, curiosity got the better of me. On asking, Ingrid told me that a family of sculptors lived and worked behind the wall for generations; right here, not a stone-throw away, on this tiny island.
We met Ketut Lunas the next morning, busy at work:
It was irrelevant that his studio was literally a shed, for the real wealth of his worth lay in the content of the studio. Wood pervaded every corner. My lungs, now so used to salt in the air, filled instead with the odor of wood. Here, a piece of formless teak over which a young child, no older than ten or eleven stooped, intent on finding the form that lay within. There, a half carved temple window emerged. Yet over there, like a freshly carved Pieta' waiting to be delivered to Jean de Billheres another sculpture stood, dripping with allegorical expressions of Hindu mythology. The distinct difference being, that, sans vanity, Ketut Lunas' work did not have an "intagliato da Ketut Lunas" emblazoned in bold letters across a sash. Gazing at the unfinished pieces, I imagined how Michelangelo's "Slaves" would have looked in his studio. Like Gunang Agung to the north, it would have appeared dormant and meaningless to the visitor, yet to him it would have been bursting with energy struggling to escape the block.
The tools of his profession lay about him, sharp, efficient and obviously well used. He seemed to know where each one lay. When he needed one he did not need to look away from his work. He just reached for it and put to work. When he finished, it was returned to the exact same spot. His hand then floated on to the next tool without even momentarily diverting his attention away from his work.
When we approached, he stood up out of politeness but it was clear that his mind remained on his work. He did not speak much but what lay about him said all that needed to be said. Every so often his eyes glanced back at his work and softened as though he were looking longingly upon his children, wanting to return to them, perhaps to change something or to analyze them from a different perspective.
They say that a person judges character within the first few seconds of meeting another person. Subjective though it may be, whether that initial judgement proves to be accurate or not, those seconds, form the foundation of any relationship, even enduring ones. Pope Julius II meeting Michelangelo for the first time, leaves one wondering who was trying to figure who out. But the person who stood before me was a man oblivious to his surroundings, intense, contemplative, thoughtful, certainly gifted and one whose talent was honed by long hours of heightened energy and years of hard work.
The instinctive thing to have done would have been to offer to buy one of the gems from the studio, but that would have been too obvious, not to mention a mistake or even worse, an insult. Nothing in the studio was for sale. Every piece, from a humble trinket to the most complex temple carving, was born from a commission. The correct thing to do therefore was to thank him for his time and leave, enriched by the rare experience of being in the presence of an artistic giant.
The relationship and trust between a patron and the artist must, from the onset, acknowledge that creativity finds expression outside the boundaries of conventional thinking and cannot and indeed must never be constrained by social practicalities and formalities. Time-frame was mentioned only once but would never be taken seriously. It would take as long as it would take, not because Ketut Lunas was busy on more lucrative work but we could see that he wanted to take his time on this commission because it was an opportunity for him to expand his creative oeuvre. Basic dimensions were only mentioned in passing as, to have been more specific, would have been to relegate a work of art to the size of a frame.
Whether Ketut Lunas would embellish the work with the traditional intricacies seen in the drawing or whether he would take a more impressionistic approach was left to his artistic interpretation. Whether he would consider his patron's aesthetic sensibilities or, for that matter, abandon his own, in deference to more personal metaphysical speculation, was entirely at his discretion. In its purest form, art is after all, in the minds eye of the artist not the beholder. It is in the journey of the beholder that meaning in the work is revealed.
The subject matter for the commission was never in doubt. It was to be an in the round carving of Baruna, the Balinese avatar of Varuna, god of the oceans and in whose name this blog is dedicated. Most people would know Tanah Lot as the temple that floats out of the village of Beraban in Tabanan into the Indian Ocean. The temple is famous for its spectacular sunsets. What is less known is that Tanah Lot is in fact dedicated to the god Baruna or Poseidon if you prefer the Greek pantheon. More accurately, Tanah Lot was established to venerate the Bhatara Segara, the God manifestation of not just the ocean but the Power of the Ocean. The sculpture must therefore not only express a manifestation of a deity but the power of the sea, so familiar to divers and visitors to these humble pages.
In a land so prolific in mythology expressed through art, it is almost impossible to find a model for Baruna that also expresses the power of the sea. Most popular images are benign two dimensional representations at best; some designed for obscure commercial purposes with little or no inherently intrinsic value. So the search was quickly diverted to finding a starting point that would inspire Ketut Lunas's artistic imagination. Finally, after passing several images back and forth our friend Kadek found an image that was accepted by the artist:
The technical aspect of the visual arts are primarily concerned with the interpretation of three dimensional space. The sculptor in particular, has to reinterpret a two dimensional representation of reality back into three dimensions. Easily done using modern tools perhaps, but traditional tools in the hands of a master, coaxes the pictorial volume, representational or otherwise, from a formless block with the dexterity of a surgeon.
To finish the work at that point would be to merely reproduce reality; which to a sculptor is no easy task in of itself. To venture beyond requires great personal risk. It takes courage to imbue the work with a power and energy that is uniquely that of the sculptor. Therein lies the realm of creative genius.
The journey had begun. Two months later Ketut Lunas has surpassed a mere representation of Baruna having already dealt with the technical aspects of his craft:
Surprisingly, something more than expected is starting to emerge in this work. It now occupies the very space that Michelangelo struggled with. Contending with the paradox of summa universae theologiae. In this work, Ketut Lunas has managed to deal with the conflation of his religion as well as his own humanism. To the religious, the sculpture can comfortably be viewed as a homage to the best traditions of Bhatara Segara iconography represented at Tanah-Lot. To the humanist, the work can be viewed from the concepts of humanitas, in eastern philosophy. At it's most essential level this work confronts us with the idea first expressed by French National Convention decree in May 8, 1793:
"...Ils doivent envisager qu’une grande responsabilité est la suite inséparable d’un grand pouvoir...."
Or to to put it in terms that even our young will understand:
Bhatara Segara teaches us about the reverence for the power of the deities. Humanitas cautions us about the use and abuse of power present in our own humanity, both of which are especially relevant today. Therein lies the real value of this work.
Like so many unfinished work of masters past and present, even in its current unfinished state, the fact will always remain that this Baruna was created, now lives in its own right and the world is a better place for witnessing its birth. Ketut Lunas will tell us when it is finished for it is and will always be a work of the master sculptor from Nusa Paneda.
Matur suksma Ketut Lunas.
A few months ago on a visit to Nusa Panida to attend the blessing of a friend's house, I found myself sitting in a banjar, hiding in the night's silence after being comprehensively defeated in chess by someone half my age. My only consolation was that my opponent turned out to be a regional chess champion. Above the chirp of a very confused cicada, presumably complaining about the light of the full moon, I could distinctly hear the measured sounds of a chisel and hammer tapping on wood coming from the house behind us. Looking in the direction of the sound, just over a stone wall I could see the light of a single fluorescent bulb illuminating what I was later to learn was the artist Ketut Lunas's studio. Imagining the rhythmical sound of an orchestra of chisels slicing through the Bianco Carrara in Lunigiana on which Michelangelo was weaned, curiosity got the better of me. On asking, Ingrid told me that a family of sculptors lived and worked behind the wall for generations; right here, not a stone-throw away, on this tiny island.
We met Ketut Lunas the next morning, busy at work:
It was irrelevant that his studio was literally a shed, for the real wealth of his worth lay in the content of the studio. Wood pervaded every corner. My lungs, now so used to salt in the air, filled instead with the odor of wood. Here, a piece of formless teak over which a young child, no older than ten or eleven stooped, intent on finding the form that lay within. There, a half carved temple window emerged. Yet over there, like a freshly carved Pieta' waiting to be delivered to Jean de Billheres another sculpture stood, dripping with allegorical expressions of Hindu mythology. The distinct difference being, that, sans vanity, Ketut Lunas' work did not have an "intagliato da Ketut Lunas" emblazoned in bold letters across a sash. Gazing at the unfinished pieces, I imagined how Michelangelo's "Slaves" would have looked in his studio. Like Gunang Agung to the north, it would have appeared dormant and meaningless to the visitor, yet to him it would have been bursting with energy struggling to escape the block.
The tools of his profession lay about him, sharp, efficient and obviously well used. He seemed to know where each one lay. When he needed one he did not need to look away from his work. He just reached for it and put to work. When he finished, it was returned to the exact same spot. His hand then floated on to the next tool without even momentarily diverting his attention away from his work.
When we approached, he stood up out of politeness but it was clear that his mind remained on his work. He did not speak much but what lay about him said all that needed to be said. Every so often his eyes glanced back at his work and softened as though he were looking longingly upon his children, wanting to return to them, perhaps to change something or to analyze them from a different perspective.
They say that a person judges character within the first few seconds of meeting another person. Subjective though it may be, whether that initial judgement proves to be accurate or not, those seconds, form the foundation of any relationship, even enduring ones. Pope Julius II meeting Michelangelo for the first time, leaves one wondering who was trying to figure who out. But the person who stood before me was a man oblivious to his surroundings, intense, contemplative, thoughtful, certainly gifted and one whose talent was honed by long hours of heightened energy and years of hard work.
The instinctive thing to have done would have been to offer to buy one of the gems from the studio, but that would have been too obvious, not to mention a mistake or even worse, an insult. Nothing in the studio was for sale. Every piece, from a humble trinket to the most complex temple carving, was born from a commission. The correct thing to do therefore was to thank him for his time and leave, enriched by the rare experience of being in the presence of an artistic giant.
The relationship and trust between a patron and the artist must, from the onset, acknowledge that creativity finds expression outside the boundaries of conventional thinking and cannot and indeed must never be constrained by social practicalities and formalities. Time-frame was mentioned only once but would never be taken seriously. It would take as long as it would take, not because Ketut Lunas was busy on more lucrative work but we could see that he wanted to take his time on this commission because it was an opportunity for him to expand his creative oeuvre. Basic dimensions were only mentioned in passing as, to have been more specific, would have been to relegate a work of art to the size of a frame.
Whether Ketut Lunas would embellish the work with the traditional intricacies seen in the drawing or whether he would take a more impressionistic approach was left to his artistic interpretation. Whether he would consider his patron's aesthetic sensibilities or, for that matter, abandon his own, in deference to more personal metaphysical speculation, was entirely at his discretion. In its purest form, art is after all, in the minds eye of the artist not the beholder. It is in the journey of the beholder that meaning in the work is revealed.
In a land so prolific in mythology expressed through art, it is almost impossible to find a model for Baruna that also expresses the power of the sea. Most popular images are benign two dimensional representations at best; some designed for obscure commercial purposes with little or no inherently intrinsic value. So the search was quickly diverted to finding a starting point that would inspire Ketut Lunas's artistic imagination. Finally, after passing several images back and forth our friend Kadek found an image that was accepted by the artist:
The technical aspect of the visual arts are primarily concerned with the interpretation of three dimensional space. The sculptor in particular, has to reinterpret a two dimensional representation of reality back into three dimensions. Easily done using modern tools perhaps, but traditional tools in the hands of a master, coaxes the pictorial volume, representational or otherwise, from a formless block with the dexterity of a surgeon.
To finish the work at that point would be to merely reproduce reality; which to a sculptor is no easy task in of itself. To venture beyond requires great personal risk. It takes courage to imbue the work with a power and energy that is uniquely that of the sculptor. Therein lies the realm of creative genius.
The journey had begun. Two months later Ketut Lunas has surpassed a mere representation of Baruna having already dealt with the technical aspects of his craft:
Surprisingly, something more than expected is starting to emerge in this work. It now occupies the very space that Michelangelo struggled with. Contending with the paradox of summa universae theologiae. In this work, Ketut Lunas has managed to deal with the conflation of his religion as well as his own humanism. To the religious, the sculpture can comfortably be viewed as a homage to the best traditions of Bhatara Segara iconography represented at Tanah-Lot. To the humanist, the work can be viewed from the concepts of humanitas, in eastern philosophy. At it's most essential level this work confronts us with the idea first expressed by French National Convention decree in May 8, 1793:
"...Ils doivent envisager qu’une grande responsabilité est la suite inséparable d’un grand pouvoir...."
Or to to put it in terms that even our young will understand:
Bhatara Segara teaches us about the reverence for the power of the deities. Humanitas cautions us about the use and abuse of power present in our own humanity, both of which are especially relevant today. Therein lies the real value of this work.
Like so many unfinished work of masters past and present, even in its current unfinished state, the fact will always remain that this Baruna was created, now lives in its own right and the world is a better place for witnessing its birth. Ketut Lunas will tell us when it is finished for it is and will always be a work of the master sculptor from Nusa Paneda.
Matur suksma Ketut Lunas.
Thursday 21 September 2017
Homage to the Anemonefish
It has to be acknowledged that "Finding Nemo" brought the Anemonefish to the attention of the world. But it did far more than that. The movie placed marine life front and center in the eyes of a young audience. Like the sea, the movie had its villains, its hero, its antagonist and protagonist and of course its clowns. If you observe them for a while you can discern a distinct personality in each one. So here's my homage to these wonderful creatures:
Not just in name, Anemonefish have such a harmonious symbiotic relationship with sea anemones:
It is a well documented phenomenon to see an Anemonefish defend its anemone:
Not just in name, Anemonefish have such a harmonious symbiotic relationship with sea anemones:
It is a well documented phenomenon to see an Anemonefish defend its anemone:
Sunday 17 September 2017
Sunfish, Moonfish, Swimming-head fish, head-alone fish
Regardless of what you call them the mola-mola deserves the respect that it gets:
This one was seen by my dive-buddy at the cleaning station.
This one was seen by my dive-buddy at the cleaning station.
Close encounter of the odd kind
After an unusually long and productive drift dive we reached our safety stop. As you do on all safety stops, my dive buddy and I decided to "practice" what it felt like to experience an out of air scenario in a controlled environment and in the presence of two instructors and a Dive Master.
Just when I reached 0 bar and began to notice a significant drop in tank pressure these two characters showed up, from nowhere, unannounced and on cue. One to my left and one to my right:
Again I was certain the gauntlet had been thrown down. No guesses as to who would be running out of air first.
Just when I reached 0 bar and began to notice a significant drop in tank pressure these two characters showed up, from nowhere, unannounced and on cue. One to my left and one to my right:
Again I was certain the gauntlet had been thrown down. No guesses as to who would be running out of air first.
Don't you walk away from me when I'm talking to you!
Sorry about the picture quality, I didn't want to get any closer. This was a very curious encounter.
You would see more of these rare Finger Dragonettes in aquariums than in nature:
This one was slightly larger than my thumbnail. The rocks you see in the foreground are actually pebbles and sand.
The Dragonette was facing me, fully aware of my presence. When I got closer, with the timing of a comedian or a disobedient child, it just turned and casually crawled off. I could have sworn that it had a rather bemused smile on it's face; as if to say: "darned tourists" or "amateur".
But then again that could be the effect of Nitrogen on my perception.
You would see more of these rare Finger Dragonettes in aquariums than in nature:
This one was slightly larger than my thumbnail. The rocks you see in the foreground are actually pebbles and sand.
The Dragonette was facing me, fully aware of my presence. When I got closer, with the timing of a comedian or a disobedient child, it just turned and casually crawled off. I could have sworn that it had a rather bemused smile on it's face; as if to say: "darned tourists" or "amateur".
But then again that could be the effect of Nitrogen on my perception.
Saturday 16 September 2017
Will the real clown of the sea please stand out?
When it comes to clowning around there is a before Nemo and an after Nemo. After Nemo, thanks in part to the world of Disney, it seems that Amphiprioninae have worn the mantle of Clownfish. The question remains who were the real clownfish before Nemo?
If it looks like a clown and crawls like a clown then it probably is a clown. So would the real Clownfish of the sea please stand out:
Soft-bodied, marine gastropod molluscs doesn't sound so amusing. Nudibranch on the other hand will hit the ulnar nerve of even the most obtuse of us.
If it looks like a clown and crawls like a clown then it probably is a clown. So would the real Clownfish of the sea please stand out:
Soft-bodied, marine gastropod molluscs doesn't sound so amusing. Nudibranch on the other hand will hit the ulnar nerve of even the most obtuse of us.
Sunday 3 September 2017
Happy parent's day!
Happy father's day to all the dads and mums of the world:
Like the seahorse they are one and the same; parenting is parenting. Have a wonderful day.
Like the seahorse they are one and the same; parenting is parenting. Have a wonderful day.
Saturday 2 September 2017
Moray me ol' mate
No matter what I tried: personal "star"quality professional portfolio, lucrative modelling contract, Moray would not budge:
The jewel of a muck dive
It's hard to believe that hidden barely 30 cm below the surface of the water, just 50 meters from a busy bus terminus and the ferry to east Java is this rare creature. All of 10 cm this Pegasus Sea Moth is listed somewhere between vulnerable and "data deficient":
The horror of odori-don
Putting aside its authenticity, the horrendous video termed "possibly the most controversial food dish on the planet" compels me to react.
At the risk of hurting the feelings of the individuals who perpetuate this abominable behavior, I would like to point out the irony of what I have seen. The first Cephalopods that appeared on this planet are 420 times older than the first Homo Sapiens. The question that needs to be asked therefore is whose evolved?
Proponents of the video suggests that the animal feels no pain because it's brain has been removed. How dumb is that? How does a pianist play a complicated piece of music? Have they not heard of muscle memory and is that not an integral part of consciousness? To use the videos own argument, would the person cut off a white pointer sharks head while leaving their arm inside it's open mouth and say that the shark won't bite'because it can't think anymore. The real reason they cut this poor creatures head off is because with it, they would be too cowardly to do what they are doing. These individuals would never dare to pick on a creature that can fight back.
In minimalist philosophy sentience is merely the capacity to feel, perceive, or experience subjectively. But it is far more than that. It is at the very core of consciousness. Any sentient being is entitled, at the very least, to empathy and by implication, deserves protection from unnecessary suffering. This video is an abomination to the word.
I have witnessed the intelligence of Cephalopods first hand and believe that these magnificent creatures have an emotional consciousness that would enable them to almost certainly feel pain as we would. Judging by the video, we appear to be oblivious, callous or just not smart enough to understand how they communicate that pain.
You don't need to be a biologist or naturalist to work out that some of us have been left behind in evolutionary time. Thankfully, most of us have not. I beg you therefore to judge for yourself whether or not we really need to treat these shy creatures with the disrespect that the video shows or whether we are better human beings than that. This barbaric behavior has to stop.
At the risk of hurting the feelings of the individuals who perpetuate this abominable behavior, I would like to point out the irony of what I have seen. The first Cephalopods that appeared on this planet are 420 times older than the first Homo Sapiens. The question that needs to be asked therefore is whose evolved?
Proponents of the video suggests that the animal feels no pain because it's brain has been removed. How dumb is that? How does a pianist play a complicated piece of music? Have they not heard of muscle memory and is that not an integral part of consciousness? To use the videos own argument, would the person cut off a white pointer sharks head while leaving their arm inside it's open mouth and say that the shark won't bite'because it can't think anymore. The real reason they cut this poor creatures head off is because with it, they would be too cowardly to do what they are doing. These individuals would never dare to pick on a creature that can fight back.
In minimalist philosophy sentience is merely the capacity to feel, perceive, or experience subjectively. But it is far more than that. It is at the very core of consciousness. Any sentient being is entitled, at the very least, to empathy and by implication, deserves protection from unnecessary suffering. This video is an abomination to the word.
I have witnessed the intelligence of Cephalopods first hand and believe that these magnificent creatures have an emotional consciousness that would enable them to almost certainly feel pain as we would. Judging by the video, we appear to be oblivious, callous or just not smart enough to understand how they communicate that pain.
You don't need to be a biologist or naturalist to work out that some of us have been left behind in evolutionary time. Thankfully, most of us have not. I beg you therefore to judge for yourself whether or not we really need to treat these shy creatures with the disrespect that the video shows or whether we are better human beings than that. This barbaric behavior has to stop.
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