I feel like writing about something this beautiful August morning that has nothing to do with Park51 or the Discovery Institute or the First Amendment or creationism. Rather, I’d like to take a break from these never-ending topics by changing the subject to something perhaps a little less weighty, unless of course, you’re a frog. For today, I’d like to garner feedback from readers about the role of man’s dominion and whether it’s right to play God when in Mother Nature’s domain. (Also, it can help settle a philosophical debate my husband Jeff and I are having, which is always a good thing.)
Jeff and I were kayaking over the weekend on the Conewago Creek near our home. As I was gliding by a patch of marsh grass, I heard the steady gallumphing of a bull frog. Even though I was quite a distance away, I could make out the big boy in the reeds and coasted towards him to see how close I could get before he hopped into the water. But even as I came closer, the frog didn’t move. Finally, I drifted to within three feet of him, yet he was still staring back at me, and still offering occasional croaks. That’s when I noticed the frog’s back end was missing, having disappeared inside the mouth of a really large black snake. The frog’s head and arms were all that remained unswallowed, a problem that clearly put the frog and snake at cross purposes.
My first thought was to kick myself for leaving my cell phone behind. This would have made a terrific picture. My second thought was to find a less obtrusive spot where I could watch to see how this excruciatingly slow drama would play out. But before I could move, my husband drifted up behind me in his kayak, took one look at the frog and snake and muttered, “I can’t take this.” Over my objections (“But it’s nature!”) Jeff stretched out his paddle and thumped the snake, which promptly spit out the frog, which went skittering between the kayaks and swam away. “Go vegetarian!” Jeff yelled at the snake, who had already slithered away into the grass.
Which leads me to my philosophical debate with my spouse. While I understand Jeff’s desire to end the frog’s suffering, my position is that one shouldn’t interfere with the cruelties of the wild—no matter how brutal—and that having the power to play God doesn’t mean we should.
Jeff’s response is that most people would have done what he did and, anyway, I’m just a cold-hearted harlot.
So readers, I’d be interested to hear from others with similar stories. How did you choose to react?
